Giove-B
Launched: 26 April 2008
Site: Baikonur
Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Launcher: Soyuz-FG / Fregat
Orbit: MEO, apogee:
23,221 km, perigee: 23,221 km: inclination: 56°
International Number:
2008-020A
Name: Giove-B
Contractor: Astrium
Giove-B is the second
demonstration satellite for Europe's Galileo navigation system.
The
satellite is designed to test novel, key technologies for the Galileo network,
including the triple-channel transmission of navigation signals. It carries a
high-precision passive maser clock - the most accurate clock ever flown in
space.
Giove-B will have a liftoff mass of 530 kg.
The first four
operational satellites in the Galileo constellation will be launched in 2010.
The full constellation of 27 operational satellites and 3 spare satellites will
be completed in 2013.
About Thales Alenia Space
The European
leader in satellite systems and a major player in orbital infrastructures,
Thales Alenia Space is a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Finmeccanica
(33%). Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio embody the two groups' "Space
Alliance". Thales Alenia Space sets the global standard in solutions for space
telecoms, radar and optical Earth observation, defence and security, navigation
and science. The company has a total of 7,200 employees and 11 industrial
sites, with locations in France, Italy, Spain and Belgium.
About
Galileo
Galileo is a joint initiative of the European Commission and the
European Space Agency, providing a highly accurate, guaranteed global
positioning service under civilian control. It will be interoperable with
America's Global Position System and the Russian GLONASS
network.
(source: ESA, Thales Alenia Space, Arianespace)
