Six Globalstar satellites get their “kick” for next month’s Starsem Soyuz launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome

January 25, 2013

Globalstar’s cluster of second-generation satellites to be orbited by Soyuz from Baikonur Cosmodrome has been installed atop the Fregat upper stage, marking another milestone in this wrap-up flight for Starsem.

The cluster of six Globalstar second-generation satellites, which are installed on their dispenser system, is lowered into place atop the Fregat upper stage.

The six spacecraft and their conical-shaped dispenser were positioned vertically on the Fregat stage this week in the Upper Composite Integration Facility (UCIF), which is operated by Starsem at the Kazakhstan launch site.

With the mating now achieved, the spacecraft/Fregat combination is ready for rotation to a horizontal orientation, allowing its encapsulation in the payload fairing.  The completed unit will then be transferred to Baikonur Cosmodrome’s MK 112 launch vehicle assembly and integration facility for mating with the basic three-stage Soyuz.

Fregat is produced by Russia’s Lavochkin Research and Production Association, and is an autonomous and highly flexible orbital vehicle that can be restarted up to 20 times in flight, enabling complex mission profiles to be performed.  It is composed of six welded spherical tanks: four spheres serving as the propellant tanks, while the other two operate as sealed instrumentation bays containing the flight control system, along with radio and telemetry systems.

The upcoming mission is now set for liftoff on February 5 at 10:20 p.m. local time in Kazakhstan, and will complete a series of four launches contracted via Arianespace for Globalstar’s second-generation constellation – all conducted under the coordination of Starsem. This will be the 26th flight carried out by Starsem since its history-making inaugural Soyuz commercial flight in 1999 that lofted four of Globalstar’s first-generation constellation satellites.

Soyuz launchers are produced in Russia by the Samara Space Center "TsSKB-Progress."  The medium-lift vehicle is used in both Starsem missions from Baikonur Cosmodrome and Arianespace’s operations with this workhorse launcher from the Spaceport in French Guiana. 

Follow Starsem’s ST26 mission activities: February 6, 2013 - Starsem/Arianespace completes the deployment of Globalstar’s constellation with a Soyuz mission from Baikonur Cosmodrome February 5, 2013 - Soyuz Flight ST26 with six Globalstar satellites: Postponed 24 hours due to weather conditions February 4, 2013 - Final checkout underway for the Arianespace/Starsem Soyuz launch with second-generation Globalstar spacecraft February 2, 2013 - Soyuz is ready for a close-out Baikonur Cosmodrome launch with Globalstar’s second-generation satellites January 28, 2013 - Globalstar’s second-generation satellites are encapsulated and ready for installation on their Starsem Soyuz launcher January 21, 2013 - Payload elements come together in Starsem’s wrap-up Soyuz mission from Baikonur Cosmodrome for Globalstar January 15, 2013 - Globalstar’s final batch of second-generation satellites are integrated for their Starsem mission from Baikonur Cosmodrome December 12, 2012 - Six satellites for Globalstar’s close-out Soyuz mission are ready for launch by the Starsem affiliate of Arianespace November 1, 2012 - Arianespace and Globalstar: The wrap-up Soyuz launch with second-generation satellites is set for February