On December 12, the Ariane-5 rocket was launched in French Guiana with 4 satellites for the Galileo navigation system. It should start functioning in 2020.
On December 12, the Ariane-5 rocket successfully launched from the Kourou Space Center (French Guiana). On board are 4 satellites for the European Galileo navigation project.
In its final version, Galileo will have up to 30 satellites in three orbital planes. Functioning is planned to begin in 2020. With a favorable development, the system will be able to determine the location on Earth with an accuracy of one meter. The program was launched in December 2016. Each of the satellites launched on Tuesday weighs 715 kg. They are located in orbit at an altitude of 23,000 km. The project is the responsibility of the European Commission, but the European Space Agency is responsible for the deployment and development of the infrastructure.
In July, ESA reported a problem in already sent satellites - the failure of atomic clocks. Researchers spent several months studying the reasons for the lag. It turned out that the rubidium clock has a faulty component that can lead to a short circuit.
