Booster rocket Soyuz- FG with European spaceship GLOVE-В launched from Baikonur

Baikonur. April 28. Kazakhstan Today - The booster rocket Soyuz-FG with the European satellite GLOVE-B was successfully launched from Baikonur, the agency reports.

The booster rocket was launched on April 27, 2008 at 4.16 Astana time (2.16 Moscow time) from a launcher №6 of the starting complex of the platform №31 and took place in a regular mode.

According to the flight cyclogram, the space vehicle GLOVE-В (GSTB-V2/B by technical classification) with the booster block Frigate separated from the last step of the carrier in 10 minutes and was launched to the orbit with the planned parameters. Later, the space vehicle was launched to the target orbit.

At 6.01 Moscow time the European navigating space vehicle was separated from the booster block Frigate and has been transferred to the customer.

This was the launch of the second experimental satellite of Galileo system. The first satellite of Galileo system GIOVE-A (Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element, earlier satellite GIOVE-A referred to - GSTB-V2/A (Galileo System Test Bed Version 2) was launched from Baikonur on December, 28, 2005 by the booster rocket Soyuz-FG. The space vehicle GIOVE-A was launched to the orbit at the height of more than 23 000 km.

The launch of the second satellite GLOVE-B was scheduled in 2006, but due to disrepair of the space vehicle, the launch was postponed for 2008.

The space vehicle was made by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (Great Britain). GLOVE-В weighting about 700 kg is intended for development of the new European system of global positioning Galileo, transfer of navigating signals on all frequencies of grouping Galileo, maintenance of registration of frequency and defining of characteristics of the radiated environment of the orbit, carrying out of the experiments, testing of etalon generators of frequencies and digital technologies. The satellite will work in the orbit at the height of about 23000 km. The service life of the satellite is 12 years.

Galileo is the project of the European space agency and will be independent, European global satellite navigating system. Besides the EU countries, China, Israel, South Korea, Ukraine, Russia also plan to participate in the project.

Unlike American GPS and Russian GLONASS, Galileo system is not supervised by either state, or military structures.

Galileo system will include 30 satellites (27 operational and 3 spare). It will be capable of distinguishing objects on the surface of the Earth with a margin error 5-10 m. Galileo system is capable to work along with the American global navigating system GPS and the Russian navigating system GLONASS.

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