The SAT33 and SAT34 satellites of the Galileo programme were successfully launched from Kourou aboard an Ariane 6.2 launcher, at 06:01 CET on Wednesday 17 December. This launch is the 14th for the European Galileo constellation and the first on an Ariane 6 rocket.
After 3 hours 55 minutes of flight, the satellites separated from the launcher. At 10:51 CET, the launch was declared successful after signal acquisition and confirmation that both satellites were operating correctly, with their solar arrays deployed. Currently in the initial and in-orbit testing phase, the satellites will join the Galileo constellation in medium Earth orbit, at an altitude of around 23,222 km.
“In about three months time, with the addition of the new satellites, the Galileo constellation will have 29 active satellites, ensuring even greater coverage and reliability”, explained the European Space Agency (ESA) in a press release.
Four more Galileo satellites are expected to be launched over the next 12 to 16 months on Ariane 6.2 launchers “to maintain the Galileo constellation, which reached full capacity last January”, according to Andrea Cotellessa of the ESA.
Galileo is the world’s most accurate global satellite navigation system. It has almost 4.5 billion users worldwide, according to the European Commission. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)