Soyuz STB/Fregat | Galileo L1 (IOV FM01-FM02)

Launch Provider & Rocket

• Provider: Arianespace (Commercial)
• Rocket: Soyuz STB Fregat — Soyuz family

Mission

The first two In Orbit Validation satellites of the Galileo constellation. The Galileo constellation is ESA's satellite navigation system and is expected to be completed by 2020. Galileo will provide Europe with an alternative to the American GPS and Russian GLONASS constellations, but will be interoperable with both systems. First launch of the Soyuz rocket from the Guiana Space Centre.

• Type: Navigation
• Orbit: Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)

Launch Site

• Pad: Soyuz Launch Complex
• Location: Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
• View on map

Program

• Galileo — Galileo is a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) that went live in 2016, created by the European Union through the European Space Agency (ESA), operated by the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA). (Wikipedia)