On this day, Nov. 3, in 1957, the Soviet Union launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome the first-ever living animal into orbit: a dog named Laika.
Laika, whose name means “barker”, was a 3-year-old mongrel stray wandering the streets of Moscow when she was picked up and taken to a secret Soviet space laboratory. Scientists selected strays because they had already learned to adapt to cold and harsh conditions. Read more…
United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Atlas V two-stage rocket liftoff from Cape Canaveral last 29-October with GPS IIF-8 aboard.
Built by Boeing, GPS IIF-8 is one of the next-generation GPS satellites, incorporating various improvements to provide greater accuracy, increased signals, and enhanced performance for users. It is the eighth GPS IIF satellite launched, the fourth this year by ULA. Three are in storage awaiting launch, and one is in production for a total of twelve of this series replacing GPS IIA. Read more…
The 2014 edition of the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) received a record number of entries and the European GNSS Agency (GSA) Special Prize was the most popular category receiving a total of 152 submissions. The GSA 2014 special prize went to elecnor deimos/Deimos Space for their Galileo for ARA project. Read more…
Network-based receiver for initial Galileo service presented by Airbus Defence & Space Innovation wins European Satellite Navigation Competition 2014 (www.esnc.eu).
The European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC), which rewards the best services, products, and business cases that use satellite navigation in everyday life, has recently announced the 2014 winner. Read more…
The European GNSS Agency (GSA) and the European Commission concluded an agreement delegating a range of exploitation tasks for Galileo to the GSA. Serving as an initial step towards the full Galileo Exploitation Phase, the Agreement provides a framework and budget for the development of services and operations through 2021.
Specifically, according to the Agreement, the GSA’s responsibilities include: Read more…
A pair of fully functioning Galileo navigation satellites was recently delivered to its operators, as preparations get underway for the next round of launches.
On 27–28 September, the two satellites launched on 22 August were handed over from ESA’s Space Operations Centre, ESOC, in Darmstadt, Germany, to the Galileo Control Centre, Oberpfaffenhofen, which will care for them pending a final decision on their use. Read more…
The Independent Inquiry Board formed to analyze the causes of the anomaly occurring during the orbital injection of satellites in the Galileo constellation by a Soyuz rocket launched from the Guiana Space Center on August 22 announced its definitive conclusions on Tuesday, October 7, 2014 following a meeting at Arianespace headquarters in Evry, near Paris. Read more…