European Space Agency director general Jean-Jacques Dordain has expressed growing confidence in achieving the planned 20 October launch of the first two of Europe's Galileo navigation satellites. That launch will mark another first, of a Soyuz rocket from Europe's spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana.
And, says Dordain, European Commission vice-president for industry and entrepreneurship Antonio Tajani will be at the Paris air show tomorrow to sign the final two contracts needed to complete the Galileo constellation.
A string of launches to follow should have an operational constellation of 18 satellites providing navigation services from 2014. The much-delayed programme is now planned to reach its full complement of 30 spacecraft, including in-orbit spares, for global coverage by 2019.
Tajani has stressed the need for Europe to match or exceed US capability in a technology that will bring significant safety, operational and economic benefits to European citizens and has described the inaugural October launches as of "historical importance".
The October launch of Soyuz will be followed later this year by the maiden flight of ESA's new light launcher, Vega, which Dordain says is steadily approaching readiness.
Moving from one launcher - the heavylift Ariane 5 - to three improves ESA's launch capabilities. Dordain says discussions are under way with European governments regarding future developments, including a "Europeanised" Vega evolution and the formal approval to undertake the long-awaited Ariane 5 mid-life upgrade, which would boost payload capacity beyond the current 10 tonnes to geostationary orbit.
- All the latest news, images and video from the 2011 Paris air show
Source: Flight Daily News
