NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Success

Galileo FOC FM25 & FM27

Launch Time
Sun Apr 28, 2024 00:34 UTC

Pair of satellites for Europe's MEO Galileo constellation. Originally planned to launch on Soyuz ST, but scrapped due to geopolitical factors. Then moved to Ariane 6, which was also scrapped due to delays. Europe contracted SpaceX to launch the two pairs aboard Falcon 9 for approximately €180 million ($192 million).

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Rocket

Falcon 9 Block 5
Image Credit: SpaceX
SpaceX
Status: Active
Price: $69.75 million
Liftoff Thrust: 7,607 kN
Payload to LEO: 22,800 kg
Payload to GTO: 8,300 kg
Stages: 2
Strap-ons: 0
Rocket Height: 70.0 m
Fairing Diameter: 5.2 m
Fairing Height: 13.0 m

Vehicles

Expendable

B1060

Flight #20
35 day turnaround

Mission Details

Galileo FOC FM25 & FM27

Galileo is a global navigation satellite system that went live in 2016, created by the European Union through the European Space Agency (ESA) and operated by the European GNSS Agency (GSA). The €10 billion project is named after the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei. One of the aims of Galileo is to provide an independent high-precision positioning system so European nations do not have to rely on the US GPS, or the Russian GLONASS systems, which could be disabled or degraded by their operators at any time.

The use of basic (lower-precision) Galileo services is free and open to everyone. The higher-precision capabilities are available for paying commercial users. Galileo is intended to provide horizontal and vertical position measurements within 1-metre precision, and better positioning services at higher latitudes than other positioning systems. Galileo is also to provide a new global search and rescue (SAR) function as part of the MEOSAR system.

The first Galileo test satellite, the GIOVE-A, was launched on 28 December 2005, while the first satellite to be part of the operational system was launched on 21 October 2011. By July 2018, 26 of the planned 30 active satellites (including spares) were in orbit. Galileo started offering Early Operational Capability (EOC) on 15 December 2016, providing initial services with a weak signal and reached Full Operational Capability (FOC) in 2019. The full Galileo constellation will consist of 24 active satellites, which is expected by 2021. It is expected that the next generation of satellites will begin to become operational after 2025 to replace older equipment, which can then be used for backup capabilities.

Payloads: 2
Total Mass: 1,603.0 kg
Medium Earth Orbit

Location

LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA

Stats

2024

80th orbital launch attempt

SpaceX

342nd mission
42nd mission of 2024
336th successful mission
308th consecutive successful mission

Falcon 9

328th mission
42nd mission of 2024
325th successful mission
299th consecutive successful mission