Baikonur Cosmodrome welcomes the payload for Starsem's upcoming mission

December 2, 2005

The GIOVE-A satellite for Starsem's final mission of 2005 has arrived at Baikonur Cosmodrome, where it will undergo checkout for its late December liftoff on a Soyuz launcher.

GIOVE-A is the first of two spacecraft orbited by Starsem to validate Europe's new Galileo space-based navigation system. The second GIOVE satellite will be launched in 2006.

The GIOVE-A was shipped from ESTEC (the European Space Research and Technology Center) in Holland on November 29, and arrived at Baikonur Cosmodrome in the early hours of the following day. GIOVE-A was developed by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. of the U.K. and has a liftoff mass of about 600 kg. The 3-axis stabilized satellite carries two Galileo signal generation units, a phased array antenna, and a pair of Rubidium atomic clocks.

Experience gained from the GIOVE-A and B missions will support the Galileo system's in-orbit validation. Their missions will be followed by the deployment of the initial four of 30 fully representative Galileo satellites that are required for full system operation. The Galileo system is a joint initiative from the European Union and the European Space Agency.

The upcoming GIOVE-A mission underscores Starsem's ability to serve a wide segment of the commercial launch services market with the Soyuz vehicle. It follows the company's November 9 Soyuz-Fregat flight with Europe's Venus Express interplanetary probe, and the August 14 Soyuz-Fregat mission that orbited the Galaxy 14 telecommunications satellite for U.S. operator PanAmSat.


For additional information on the successful Starsem GIOVE-A launch, review the previous updates, along with the post-mission press release and Starsem's official launch kit.

Mission updates:


• Read our December 28 mission update which describes the latest successful Soyuz launch in detail.
• Our December 28 launch bulletin provides the first report after Soyuz' liftoff from Baikonur.
• The December 27 update details the erection of Starsem's Soyuz on the launch pad with its GIOVE-A payload.
• Follow the integration of GIOVE-A with the Soyuz third stage in our our December 23 mission update.
• Read the December 21 mission update, which reported on the completion of integration for the GIOVE-A satellite payload.

Press release:


• Read our press release about this successful Starsem mission.

Launch kit:


• Download the Starsem Starsem GIOVE-A launch kit for additional information on the mission and the Soyuz launch system. (2,344 Kb)

Related links:


• European Space Agency and the European Commission: Development partners for the Galileo system
• Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd: Manufacturer of the GIOVE-A satellite
• Galileo Joint Undertaking: Management organization for the Galileo program's development phase