The European Galileo satellite navigation system keeps growing: a new pair of satellites has joined the constellation after a journey on a Falcon 9 rocket, launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 18 September at 00:50 CEST (17 September 18:50 local time).
The 13th launch in the Galileo programme, performed by SpaceX under contract with ESA, has taken Galileo satellites number 31 and 32 (FM26 and FM32) to medium Earth orbit, extending the constellation to make it more robust. In the coming weeks, the new satellites will reach their final destination at 23 222 km, where they will be tested prior to starting operations.
ESA Director of Navigation Javier Benedicto said, “With the deployment of these two satellites, Galileo completes its constellation as designed, reaching the required operational satellites plus one spare per orbital plane. The remaining 6 Galileo First Generation satellites are expected to be deployed in 2025 and 2026 for increased robustness and performance, solidifying the resilience and reliability of Galileo and enabling uninterrupted delivery of the world’s most precise navigation.”
Comentarios