The satellite navigation GIOVE-B successfully completes its first year in orbit. Manufactured by an industrial team led by Astrium under contract with the European Space Agency (ESA), GIOVE-B is the second mission in orbit demonstration dedicated to the European Galileo satellite navigation.
- Astrium demonstration of technical feasibility of Galileo
- Measures over the long term signal quality
- The atomic clocks provide precision performance
Reinhold Lutz, Director of the navigation at Astrium, said: “The success of GIOVE-B demonstrates the expertise of Astrium in the development of satellite navigation complex. This mission has allowed engineers to test in orbit the new technologies needed for the Galileo constellation, which will pave the way for the navigation system vital for economic and technological future of Europe. ”
GIOVE-B (500 kg) was initiated in medium earth orbit (MEO) aboard a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 27 April 2008. After an intensive round of tests in orbit, the satellite was declared fully operational in July. Read the rest of this entry »