Soyuz launches four Globalstar satellites
Posted: Wed, May 30, 2007, 6:58 AM ET (1058 GMT)
A Soyuz rocket placed four Globalstar replacement satellites into low Earth orbit early Wednesday. The Soyuz-Fregat lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 4:31 pm EDT Tuesday (2031 GMT Tuesday, 2:31 am local time Wednesday), deploying the four identical satellites into orbit at an altitude of 920 kilometers. The satellites are spares that were manufactured at the same time as the original constellation, launched between 1998 and 2000, but were placed in ground storage until now. The satellites will augment the existing constellation, some of whose satellites have suffered from degrading performance in the S-band amplifiers, reducing their effectiveness. A second launch of four spare satellites is planned for this summer. A second generation of Globalstar satellites is under development by Thales Alenia Space, with deliveries scheduled to begin in the second half of 2009.
A Soyuz rocket placed four Globalstar replacement satellites into low Earth orbit early Wednesday. The Soyuz-Fregat lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 4:31 pm EDT Tuesday (2031 GMT Tuesday, 2:31 am local time Wednesday), deploying the four identical satellites into orbit at an altitude of 920 kilometers. The satellites are spares that were manufactured at the same time as the original constellation, launched between 1998 and 2000, but were placed in ground storage until now. The satellites will augment the existing constellation, some of whose satellites have suffered from degrading performance in the S-band amplifiers, reducing their effectiveness. A second launch of four spare satellites is planned for this summer. A second generation of Globalstar satellites is under development by Thales Alenia Space, with deliveries scheduled to begin in the second half of 2009.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Friday, March 19
What’s Next For NASA? Get Answers At Space Forum Today
Central Florida News 13 — 1:52 pm ET (1752 GMT) Hubble and the space shuttle in IMAX 3-D
CNN — 1:52 pm ET (1752 GMT) Discovery Starts Packing For Space
Central Florida News 13 — 1:49 pm ET (1749 GMT) "Hubble 3D" Will Rock Your Worlds (All of Them)
WRC-TV Washington DC — 1:49 pm ET (1749 GMT) Space shortlist announced
Russia Today — 1:45 pm ET (1745 GMT) |