EC wants clarification ws. Problems of two new satellites of Galileo – Onet.pl

European Commission also wants to know when and how mistakes will be corrected.

– problems with the launch of two new Galileo satellites are very unfortunate. The European Commission will participate in the investigation, conducted with the European Space Agency to understand the cause of the incident and determine the extent to which the two satellites can be used for the purposes of the Galileo program – EU Commissioner said. Industry Ferdinando Nelli Feroci.

Soyuz carrier rocket, which took into orbit fifth and sixth satellite of the Galileo program started last Friday afternoon from the European spaceport near Kourou in French Guiana. On Saturday, the company Arianespace announced that the satellites were on the wrong orbit – less than planned.

As reported by European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA) has confirmed that its Control Centre in Darmstadt, Germany controls the satellite. Efforts are being made to allow maximum use of satellites for the Galileo network.

In the first week of September, Arianespace and ESA are presented in Brussels the results of its investigation into the recent troubles of the Galileo program.

Galileo is the European global system satellite navigation, which is to be competitive with the American GPS (Global Positioning System) and the Russian GLONASS. It will, however, compatible with them. The main advantage of Galileo over GPS to be precise.

placement in orbit of the full constellation of 30 satellites, including six up, still scheduled for the end of the decade, however, the implementation of the program for the event is delayed; Initial plans assumed that the end of 2014. orbit will have 18 satellites.

Shots on Friday satellites – named Dores and Milena – were to be the first to have full operational capability. Four satellites are placed before testing the system in orbit.

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