The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded a contract to Arianespace for the launch of Galileo navigation satellites aboard its Ariane 5 ES.
Under the contract, Arianespace’s three Ariane 5 ES launch-vehicles will deploy 12 Galileo full operational capability satellites from 2015 onwards.
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Arianespace chairman and CEO Stéphane Israël said: "With its Ariane 5 ES heavy-lift launch-vehicle, Arianespace is able to provide the most appropriate solution for stepping up the deployment of the entire Galileo constellation.
"With the three Ariane, Vega and Soyuz launch-vehicles operated from the Guiana Space Centre, Arianespace is giving Europe guaranteed access to space and suitable solutions to meet its wide-ranging needs."
In total, Arianespace will be responsible to deploy 22 FOC satellites of Galileo constellation into circular orbit at an altitude of 23,522km using its five Soyuz launch-vehicles and three Ariane 5 ES launch-vehicles.
The satellites are being manufactured by the German group OHB System and UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology.
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By GlobalDataThese satellites will complement the four IOV satellites, including IOV 1&2 and IOV 3&4, which were launched by Arianespace in 2011 and 2012 respectively.
Arianespace and its subsidiary Starsem also launched the initial satellites in the Galileo constellation, Giove-A and Giove-B, in 2005 and 2008 respectively from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Image: Ariane 5 ES with ATV-4 on board. Photo: courtesy of DLR German Aerospace Centre.
