ESA takes delivery of first Galileo satellite
CORDIS News
Date: 2005-08-03
http://dbs.cordis.lu/cgi-bin/srchidadb?CALLER=NHP_EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=EN_RCN_ID:24234
The first Galileo system test bed satellite, GSTB-V2/A, has arrived at the
European Space Agency (ESA) space research and technology centre in the
Netherlands to undergo testing ahead of its planned launch in December.
Two satellites are being developed for the Galileo system test bed, which
constitutes the first phase in the in-orbit validation of Europe's civilian
satellite navigation system.
The priorities are now to secure the Galileo frequency registered with the
International Telecommunications Union before the June 2006 deadline,
validate new technologies, characterise the radiation environment in
Galileo's medium Earth orbit, and allow for experimentation using live
Galileo signals.
At ESA's European space research and technology centre (ESTEC) in
Noordwijk, scientists will simulate the conditions that the spacecraft will
experience during lift off and in orbit. Tests will include a space
environment simulation in ESTEC's large space simulator, solar array
deployments to confirm their correct functioning, shock, vibration and
acoustic tests to simulate launch conditions, and electromagnetic
compatibility experiments to ensure that the craft's various systems do not
disrupt one another.
The first satellite, developed by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd in the
UK, measures 1.3 metres x 1.8m x 1.65m, and has a lift-off mass of around
600 kilograms. The main elements of its payload are: two signal generation
units, one emitting a simple Galileo signal and the other generating more
representative Galileo signals, a phased array antenna, and two Rubidium
atomic clocks. The expected lifetime of the satellite is two years.
The second of the two test bed satellites is being assembled and tested by
Galileo Industries, at the premises of Alenia Spazio in Rome, Italy, prior
to final testing at ESTEC in the autumn. The first satellite is due to be
launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan this December, onboard
a Russian Soyuz launcher.
For further information, please consult the following web address:
http://www.esa.int/esaNA/SEM5KHXEM4E_galileo_0.html
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
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