Starsem orbits four Globalstar satellites from Baikonur Cosmodrome
May 30, 2007
The first Starsem mission of 2007 successfully lofted four spacecraft to augment the Globalstar satellite constellation.
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The four Globalstar satellites orbited on today's
mission are shown installed on their payload
dispenser during final integration. |
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Tonight's flight was Starsem's seventh for Globalstar, and is to be followed by another launch later this year with an additional four Globalstar spacecraft.
"This success was made possible thanks to the reliable Soyuz launch vehicle, whose flawless performance enabled today's launch," said Starsem Chairman & CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall. "Once again, together, we have demonstrated that the Soyuz is an extremely reliable launcher, and definitely a very strong partner of the satellite operators!"
The mission used a Soyuz launcher equipped with a Fregat upper stage, which lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 2:31 a.m. (10:31 p.m. in Paris on May 29, and 1:31 p.m. U.S. Pacific Daylight Time on May 29).
After a 1 hr. 42 min. flight - which included a coast phase of the Fregat upper stage - the four Globalstar spacecraft were delivered into a circular phasing orbit. Each of the satellites weighed approximately 450 kg. at launch
The Globalstar spacecraft cluster was installed on Soyuz using a payload dispenser system that deployed the satellites in a two-step process. Three of the satellites were positioned vertically around the dispenser's center post, while the fourth was installed in a horizontal position atop the dispenser. The top spacecraft was deployed first, followed by the simultaneous release of the three remaining satellites 2 min. 30 sec. later.
