Building Ariane 6 mobile gantry at Europe’s spaceport

Ariane 6 launch zone

Ariane 6 launch zone

The first structural element of the mobile gantry that will house and protect Ariane 6 before launch has been assembled.

The mobile gantry is a 90 m-high, nine-storey structure weighing 8200 tonnes. Riding on rails, it is retracted before launch.

Work platforms will enable engineers to access the vehicle levels to vertically position Ariane 6’s central core directly on the launch table, add two or four boosters depending on the launch configuration, and integrate the fairing that houses the payload. Read more…

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Space is not the final frontier

Franck Proust (EPP, FR), Vice-Chair of Parliament’s sky and space intergroup

Franck Proust (EPP, FR), Vice-Chair of Parliament’s sky and space intergroup

By Franck Proust*:

Europe must be realistic when it comes to its space policy, and protect its industry to ensure the EU space sector can compete globally, says Franck Proust.

From institutions to private actors, all Europeans must realise that working to support Europe in becoming the space power of the 21st century should be a common goal, bringing benefits to all citizens.

The political will exists. With the ‘Space strategy for Europe’, EU leaders have demonstrated their support for a competitive European space sector, against a background of intense global competition. The 10th conference on European space policy is therefore an opportunity to demonstrate that actions speak louder than words. Read more…

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[vid] What is Galileo?

Satellite positioning has become a vital part of our daily lives and is a key for farming, science, precise timing and emergency response. We use it on our phones, cars, planes, trains, ships and thousands of other applications. In 2016, Galileo, the European Global Navigation system launched its initial services.

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EU relocates GSMC facility to Spain

A scientist works on the Galileo satellite system

A scientist works on the Galileo satellite system

A part of the infrastructure for the Galileo satellite system will be relocated from the Britain to Spain because of the UK’s departure from the EU, the European Commission has announced.

The back-up Galileo security monitoring centre for Galileo was originally awarded to London in 2010 after a competitive process.

The centre, which was due to become fully operational later this year, controls access to the satellite system and provides around-the-clock monitoring of it when the main security centre, near Paris, is offline. Read more…

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Ariane 6’s Vulcain engine set for first firing

Vulcain 2.1

Vulcain 2.1

A Vulcain rocket engine recently arrived in Germany ahead of its first test firing in December to demonstrate new capabilities and technologies developed for Ariane 6.

The Vulcain 2.1 will help to propel Ariane 6, new-generation launcher for Galileo, in the first 10 minutes of flight, up to an altitude of 200 km.

The engine delivers 135 tonnes of thrust in vacuum, and weighs the same as an Airbus A318 jet engine but provides more than 10 times the power. Read more…

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Third Galileo IS OS Quarterly Performance Report now available

Third Galileo IS OS Quarterly Performance ReportThe third Galileo Initial Services Open Service (IS OS) Quarterly Performance Report, with information on the status of the Galileo constellation covering the period from July to September 2017 is now available.

These quarterly reports provide the public with the latest information on the Galileo Open Service measured performance statistics, in particular, on parameters such as: Read more…

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[vid] Galileo Launch 9 liftoff replay

Europe has four more Galileo navigation satellites (satellites 19–22) in the sky following their launch from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 18:36 GMT (19:36 CET, 15:36 local time), on an Ariane 5 rocket, operated by Arianespace.

 

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