Soyuz launch with Galileo FOC M2 satellites

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Galileo constellation

Anatomy of the Soyuz launch complex in Kourou

History of the Soyuz complex in Kourou

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Soyuz-ST flies its 6th mission with Galileo satellites

During its sixth mission to launch navigation satellites for the European Galileo network, on March 27, 2015, the Soyuz ST rocket delivered a pair of Full Operational Capacity Mission 2 (FOC M2), satellites No. 7 and No. 8. It became the second of five Soyuz missions delivering FOC satellites and the first of three such launches scheduled for 2015.

Previous Galileo launch: VS09 FOC1

launch

Initial launch profile of the Soyuz-ST rocket (mission VS 11) with Galileo FOC M2 satellites in March 2015. Credit: Arianespace

profile

Mission profile of the Soyuz-ST rocket (mission VS11) with Galileo FOC M2 satellites in March 2015. Credit: Arianespace

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Sixth Galileo mission (VS11) in March 2015

The liftoff of the Soyuz-ST-B rocket from the ELS pad near Kourou, French Guiana, took place as scheduled on March 27, 2015, at 6:46:18 p.m. local time (21:46 UTC, 05:46 p.m. EST). The 11th Soyuz launch from Guiana (under designation VS11) carried a total of 1,597 kilograms of payload, including 1,428 kilograms for a pair of Galileo FOC M2 satellites nick-named Adam and Anastasia.

Flight profile

According to Arianespace, which manages this mission for the European Space Agency, the powered phase of the first, second and third stages on Soyuz was to last about nine minutes. The third stage of the launcher will then be separated from the upper
composite, comprising the Fregat upper stage and the two satellites. The three lower stages and the fairing will fall back into the sea.

After a first burn, the upper composite is spinned during a ballistic phase lasting about three hours and 15 minutes. Then, Fregat will ignite its own engine to bring the upper composite to an orbit over the Earth. At a pre-determined point of this orbit, Fregat will ignite a second burn lasting four minutes to reach the circular orbit of separation. At the end of the mission, the Fregat upper stage will be deactivated.

The entire orbital insertion process is expected to conclude three hours, 47 minutes after the liftoff with the release of the satellites into a 23,522-kilometer orbit with an inclination 55.04 degrees toward the Equator.

The satellites will later use their own propulsion system to lower their altitude in order to enter their operational orbit.

Galileo FOC M2 launch sequence on March 27, 2015:

PRE-LAUNCH EVENTS	Time (h:min:sec)
Beginning of the State Commission meeting for launcher fueling authorization	-04:50:00
Beginning of Launch Vehicle fueling with propellant components.	-04:00:00
Launch Vehicle is fueled with all propellant components	-01:35:00
Mobile gantry withdrawal	-01:10:00
Key on start (beginning of Soyuz synchronized sequence)	-01:05:10
Fregat transfer to onboard power supply	-00:05:00
Upper Composite umbilical drop off command	-00:02:25
Ground-board power transfer	-00:00:40
Lower stage mast retraction	-00:00:28
Ignition	-00:00:17
Preliminary thrust level	-00:00:15
Full thrust level	-00:00:03
LAUNCH EVENTS	-
Lift-off	00:00:00
Jettisoning of boosters	00:01:58
Jettisoning of fairing	00:03:29
Separation of main stage	00:04:48
Separation of 3rd stage	00:09:24
Fregat 1st burn starts	00:10:24
Fregat 1st burn ends	00:23:32
Fregat 2nd burn starts	03:38:35
Fregat 2nd burn ends	03:42:57
Separation of IOV-1 PFM and FM2	03:47:57

Mission history

After the launch failure of the Soyuz rocket with the FOC1 pair of Galileo satellites in August 2014 and the discovery of potential problems with satellites themselves, the FOC2 mission scheduled on Dec. 18, 2014, was swapped in the schedule with the launch of O3b satellites. By the end of 2014, the mission was scheduled for March 28, 2015.

Galileo FOC satellites

FOC

Known specifications of Galileo FOC M2 No. 7 and No. 8:

Customer	ESA (European Space Agency)
Contractors	OHB-System (satellite bus and a prime contractor) SSTL (payload)
Total mass at lift-off	715 kilograms and 713 kilograms
Dimensions	2.5 by 1.2 by 1.1 meters and 14,67 meters solar panels span when deployed in orbit
Life span	More than 12 years
On-board power	1,420 Watts
Navigation signal	3 bands (E5, E6 and E1)
Additional payload	COSPAS-SARSAT search and rescue transponder

Next Galileo mission: VS12, FOC M3

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Last update: December 15, 2015

IMAGE ARCHIVE

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Payload section with a pair of Galileo FOC M2 satellite is being integrated with the Soyuz rocket on the launch pad. Credit: Arianespace