ESA Galileo Launch - Video

On 22 August, at 12:27 GMT/14:27 CEST, a Soyuz Flight VS09 launched Europe’s fifth and six Galileo satellites from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

These new satellites joined four Galileo satellites already in orbit, launched in October 2011 and October 2012 respectively.

This first quartet were ‘In-Orbit Validation’ satellites, serving to demonstrate the Galileo system would function as planned.

Now that work has been done, these ‘Full Operational Capability’ satellites are significant as the first of the rest of the Galileo constellation.

A steady stream of launches will follow to build the complete Galileo satellite constellation.

This deployment phase of the Galileo programme is being managed and funded by the European Commission, with ESA acting as design and procurement agent on behalf of the Commission.

ESA Galileo Soyuz Rocket Launch Cancelled - Bad Weather

A Soyuz rocket carrying a pair of Galileo In-Orbit Validation satellites lifts off from Europe'’s Spaceport in Sinnamary, 12km from Kourou, French Guiana on October 12, 2012

Foul weather has delayed the blast-off of two satellites for the Galileo navigation network, launch firm Arianespace said Thursday, as it announced 12 more launches starting next year to "step up" deployment of Europe's rival to GPS.

The liftoff of the fifth and sixth Galileo satellites, already delayed by more than a year, had been scheduled at 1231 GMT Thursday from the European space centre at Kourou in French Guiana on a Russian-made Soyuz rocket on Thursday.

But "unfavourable" weather intervened to cause an indefinite delay, Arianespace said in a statement.

"Another launch date will be decided depending on the evolution of the weather conditions in Kourou," it said.

Arianespace also announced it had signed a deal with the European Space Agency (ESA) to launch 12 more satellites "from 2015 onwards", for the EU-funded Galileo network.

The staggered launches aboard dedicated Ariane 5 ES rockets would "step up the deployment" of the navigation system, the company said, without specifying over what period they would happen.

The 5.4-billion-euro ($7.2-billion) Galileo constellation is designed to provide an alternative in case of signal failure on the existing US Global Positioning System and Russia's Glonass, and will have search and rescue capabilities.

ESA Galileo Deployment Phase - Video

On 21 August, at 12:31 UTC/14:31 CEST, a Soyuz rocket will launch the fifth and six of ESA's Galileo satellites from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

These are the first ‘Full Operational Capability’ satellites for the deployment phase of Galileo, following the so-called 'In Orbit Validation’ (IOV) phase, which allowed the European Space Agency (ESA) to make sure that the design of the Galileo system provided its expected performance both in space and on the ground.

Now it is time to build the full Galileo constellation, allowing full deployment to take place, the IOV satellites having paved the way for this European navigation programme, the first civilian system with worldwide services.

This phase of the Galileo programme is being managed and funded by the European Commission, with ESA acting as design and procurement agent on behalf of the Commission.

This video recalls the success of the In Orbit Validation phase and explains what will be the mission of these fifth and sixth Galileo satellites.

It includes an interview with Sylvain Loddo, ESA's Galileo Ground Segment Manager.