Galileo IOV Satellites Fueled for October 20 Launch
Dispenser check-out with upper stage.
The first two Galileo navigation satellites are both now fueled and checked for their launch by Soyuz from French Guiana on October 20, reports the European Space Agency.
The two Galileo In-Orbit Validation satellites reached Europe’s Spaceport in September. Galileo’s second flight model, FM2, touched down on September 7 on an Antonov-124, and the Galileo Protoflight Model followed it seven days later on an Ilyushin 76. Both satellites are now fueled and ready to be mated this week onto the dispenser that will hold them in place during launch before deploying them into their final 23 222 km orbit.
The combined payload stack — the dispenser and both satellites — will then be transported from the fueling facility to the Upper Composite Integration Facility S3B for integration with their Fregat-MT upper stage and subsequent encapsulation.
ESA has set up a website dedicated to the launch.
Encapsulated under fairing.
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