News, April 2008
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Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses. |
EU launches second satellite for Galileo project
www.chinaview.cn 2008-04-27 09:52:01
MOSCOW, April 27 (Xinhua) --
The European Union on early Sunday put into orbit an experimental satellite for the bloc's Galileo global navigation system in an effort to rival the U.S. GPS system.
The GIOVE-B satellite, the second of the experimental cluster, was launched from Kazakhstan's Baikonur cosmodrome in Central Asiaat 4:16 a.m. local time (2216 GMT Saturday) atop of the Russian Soyuz-FG carrier rocket and successfully separated with the booster in four hours.
The 530-kg cube, built by the Astrium and Thales Alenia Space, was put into the 23,000-km-altitude orbit with 56-degree inclination as designated, Itar-Tass news agency cited the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos).
The GIOVE-B, one of three experimental satellites, will test technologies to be used in the Galileo system, which the EU said is superior to the existing GPS system in coverage sphere.
It is also designed to provide navigation service for motorists, sailors, pilots and emergency rescue staff, according to the EU.
The first satellite for the Galileo system was launched in 2005.
The European Parliament gave its final approval Wednesday to the 30-satellite Galileo project, which is expected to be operational by 2013 at a cost of 3.4 billion euros (5.3 billion U.S. dollars).
An EU panel to oversee the project will be created.
Editor: Song Shutao
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