The Baikonur Cosmodrome was the first space launch facility to be built (1955) and it is the largest in the world. Located in the desert of Kazakhstan, 90 meters above sea level, it was originally built by the Soviet Union for their space programs. Currently it holds numerous commercial, military and scientific missions. Read more…
It was on 28 December 2005 when the fist Galileo satellite GIOVE-A (Galileo in-orbit validatión element – A, formerly known as GSTB-V2/A), was placed in orbit at an altitude of 23,260 kilometers by a Russian Soyuz rocket that lifted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Read more…
Galileo Constellation
Galileo is a European Global Navigation Satellite System, providing high accuracy global positioning service. It is inter-operable with GPS (USA) and Glonass (Rusia). It will consist of 30 satellites (27 operational + 3 spares), positioned in 3 circular Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) planes at 23,222 km altitude above the Earth, and at an inclination of the orbital planes of 56º to the equator. It will provide good coverage even at latitudes up to 75º north, the most northerly tip of Europe. Read more…