Soyuz STB/Fregat | Galileo (Auto orbit)

Craft celebrating the successful launch of flight VS-26 aboard a Soyuz STB/Fregat carrying the Galileo satellite to MEO

– VS26 will be the 150th mission launched by Arianespace for European institutions, the 46th mission of Soyuz at the service of institutional needs. This flight will also mark 10 years of Soyuz operations in French Guiana.

Mission - Galileo

Galileo FOC satellites are part of the “Full Operational Capability” phase of the program. Operational Galileo FOC satellites began launching in 2014. System services became available on December 15, 2016.

This is the European Union’s fully civilian Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Galileo was designed to be available – if (for any reason) the US NAVSTAR (GPS) or Russian GLONASS systems were not available to the general public.

The satellites operate in 3 orbital planes, equally spaced apart from each other. They are each at an altitude of 23,222 km (14,430 mi), with an inclination of 56°.

Where is the satellite going? :

Medium Earth Orbit – 23,222 km (14,430 mi), 56° inclination
[4463 x 4463 km in Droo Orbit]

Parking Orbit:
LEO - > 400 x 300 km, 56° inclination

Rocket: Soyuz STB/Fregat

Soyuz ST is the version of the Soyuz-2 rocket that has been adapted to launch from the European equatorial launch site in French Guiana. Soyuz ST-A and ST-B are the names that refer to the ST variants based on the Soyuz-2.1A and 2.1B variants respectively.

The Soyuz rocket (also known as R7) has been the workhorse of the Soviet/Russian space program since it first flew in 1966. The Soyuz version currently being used for most satellite launches is a four-stage launch vehicle, that consists of:

1. four side boosters (stage 1)
2. a central core (stage 2)
3. an upper stage which is common to all Soyuz rockets (stage 3)
4. an optional Fregat upper stage (which is used on this mission)

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Craft Notes:

1. Auto-Launch to Orbit by Preprogrammed Vizzy. (Throttle 100%)
2. Multiple Pad and Rocket Camera setups (with launch clams cameras)
3. Launch Clamps to hold down rocket
4. Preprogrammed Vizzy for Launch and to parking orbit (>400 x 300 km orbit)

*1. Fairing Deploy to be done after 105 km AGL (manuallly)
2. Allow stage 2 to completely burn out
3. Manually separate stage 2 and stage 3 after stage 3 ignition
4. Jettison stage 3 shroud (cover) after circularisation burn begins (manually)
*5. FInal orbit insertion (to MEO - 4463 x 4463 km) and payload deploy to be done manually

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Credits:

Predecessor Craft by UlmSpaceAgency - Soyuz TMA-M
Vizzy by: KAL

Modifications to Rocket, Space-craft and Vizzy by OrbiteX