{"id":10127,"date":"2024-04-27T22:44:15","date_gmt":"2024-04-27T14:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-launches-european-commissions-galileo-satellites-on-falcon-9-rocket-from-the-kennedy-space-center\/"},"modified":"2024-04-27T22:44:15","modified_gmt":"2024-04-27T14:44:15","slug":"spacex-launches-european-commissions-galileo-satellites-on-falcon-9-rocket-from-the-kennedy-space-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-launches-european-commissions-galileo-satellites-on-falcon-9-rocket-from-the-kennedy-space-center\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX launches European Commission\u2019s Galileo satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_66042\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-66042\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66042\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240427_Falcon_9_LIFTOFF_Galileo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"551\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240427_Falcon_9_LIFTOFF_Galileo.jpg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240427_Falcon_9_LIFTOFF_Galileo-300x189.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240427_Falcon_9_LIFTOFF_Galileo-678x426.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240427_Falcon_9_LIFTOFF_Galileo-768x483.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-66042\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a pair of Galileo satellites for the European Commission\u2019s constellation lifts off from Launch Complex 39A on April 27, 2024. The last time SpaceX launched an expandable Falcon 9 rocket was back in November 2022, 146 missions ago. Image: Adam Bernstein\/Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>SpaceX hit some notable milestones with the launch of its Falcon 9 rocket from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center on Saturday. Most notably, the weekend flight marked the first time that the European Commission\u2019s Galileo satellites (similar to the United State\u2019s Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites) launched onboard an American-made rocket and from U.S. soil.<\/p>\n<p>The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at 8:34 p.m. EDT (0034 UTC). The first stage booster on this mission, tail number B1060 in the SpaceX fleet, launched for a 20th and final time. SpaceX did not plan to recover B1060 \u201cdue to the additional performance requirement to deliver the payload to medium Earth orbit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe last time a first stage was expended during a Falcon 9 mission was 146 flights ago in November 2022,\u201d SpaceX said in a social media post following the launch. \u201cOn most Falcon 9 missions, enough propellant remains in the first stage after stage separation to enable landing, recovery, and ultimately reuse on future missions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX added that it is in the process of qualifying both its boosters and its payload fairings for up to 40 missions each. They credit the data gathered on Falcon vehicle flights to furthering their development of the significantly larger and entirely reusable Starship rocket and their stated goal of \u201cmaking life multi-planetary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WPA7iz6gQpw\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While B1060 was not being recovered on this flight, it marked the most flight proven booster to launch a customer payload. The previous record was held by the same booster when it launched Intuitive Machines\u2019 Nova-C lunar lander on its 18th flight in February.<\/p>\n<p>Because it wasn\u2019t recovered, SpaceX removed the hypersonic grid fins normally affixed at the top of the booster as well as the four landing legs.<\/p>\n<p>The two-part payload fairing protecting the two Galileo satellites were scooped up out of the Atlantic Ocean by the recovery vessel, Bob, named for former NASA astronaut, Bob Behnken of the Demo-2 mission. SpaceX noted that this was also the 200th mission that used flight-proven payload fairings.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1784383268571529672&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2024%2F04%2F27%2Flive-coverage-spacex-to-launch-european-commissions-galileo-satellites-on-falcon-9-rocket-from-the-kennedy-space-center%2F&amp;sessionId=8af059ac47ca79122838d401dbf484124a25f715&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1784383268571529672\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782461580584114857=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This Falcon 9 first stage has launched ~200 spacecraft as part of our Rideshare program, supported 13 @Starlink missions to help connect people all around the world with high-speed, low-latency internet, sent a lunar lander to the Moon, and more. In total, this Falcon delivered\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/IDul5eJIum<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 28, 2024<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>American solutions for European launch vacuum<\/h4>\n<p>The Galileo satellite constellation is part of Europe\u2019s global navigation satellite system (GNSS). It\u2019s similar to others operating around the world, the most prevalent of which is the United States\u2019 Global Positioning System (GPS).<\/p>\n<p>Galileo is been in operation since December 2016 and currently consists of 28 satellites, which orbit the Earth at 23,000 km. According to the European Union Agency for Space Programme\u2019s (EUSPA) GNSS Service Centre (GSC), eight out of the 28 are listed as either \u201cnot usable\u201d or \u201cnot available.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The pair that launched on Saturday will support the current constellation and offer supplementary services in the event another satellite stops working as intended.<\/p>\n<p>Historically, all of the satellites have launched on either Russian Soyuz rockets or the Ariane 5, but neither are an option any more. The European Space Agency (ESA) stopped using Soyuz as a launch vehicle following Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the final Ariane 5 rocket launched in July 2023.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_66032\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-66032\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66032\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240427_Galileo_Second_Generation.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"566\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240427_Galileo_Second_Generation.jpg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240427_Galileo_Second_Generation-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240427_Galileo_Second_Generation-678x438.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240427_Galileo_Second_Generation-768x496.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-66032\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">According to the European Space Agency, \u201cGalileo Second Generation will provide unprecedented precision, robustness and flexibility with new and improved services, fully compatible with Galileo First Generation and other satellite navigation systems for the best results.\u201d Image: ESA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>During a press conference at the European Space Summit in Seville, Spain, in November 2023, Thierry Breton, the European Commission\u2019s commissioner for the internal market, said that the continent\u2019s lack of an orbital class rocket meant America, and SpaceX in particular, was their next logical option.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have four satellites to launch [in 2024] and given that Ariane 6 is still not going to be available, I accepted a proposal from ESA to use SpaceX,\u201d Breton said. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about very critical satellites. And so, we\u2019re still negotiating with the American side and once that\u2019s been finalized, yes, we will have two launches for four satellites, which will be carried out by SpaceX.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Breton noted that the second launch via SpaceX is anticipated in July 2024.<\/p>\n<p>According to a report in Politico, the European Commission cemented the \u20ac180 million (about $192.5 million), two-launch deal with SpaceX on March 19. That represents a roughly 36 percent markup on the cost of the two missions compared to the standard payment plan for a dedicated Falcon 9 launch, which is $67 million.<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX notes in the \u201cCapabilities and Services\u201d section of its website that \u201cMissions purchased in 2022, but flown beyond 2023 may be subject to additional adjustments due to inflation.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_66033\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-66033\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66033\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240427_G2_dual_launch_vibration_test.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"584\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240427_G2_dual_launch_vibration_test.jpg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240427_G2_dual_launch_vibration_test-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240427_G2_dual_launch_vibration_test-678x452.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240427_G2_dual_launch_vibration_test-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-66033\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Galileo Second Generation satellites will be launched in pairs, interconnected and connected to the launcher until separation. Each satellite is over 2000 kg and when stacked, they reach a towering height of seven meters. This configuration has undergone vibration tests at ESA\u2019s Hydraulic Multi-axis Shaker (Hydra) and received mechanical qualification. Image: ESA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This is not the first time that the lack of a European orbital launch vehicle has caused them to lean on SpaceX. In July 2023, a Falcon 9 rocket launched Euclid, the wide-angle space telescope designed to study the so-called \u201cdark universe.\u201d SpaceX was also selected to launch the EarthCARE (Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer) spacecraft to a Sun-synchronous 400 km polar orbit in May and the Hera spacecraft to the asteroid, Didymos, in October.<\/p>\n<p>A letter from Pietro Francesco de Lotto, the president of the Consultative Commission on Industrial Change, to the European Parliament opined on the growing gulf in space access for Europe compared to other global space powers. He argued that \u201cthe European space sector is facing an increasing number of threats.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe funding gap with the US and China is widening. European space budgets are six times lower than those in the US, and the budgets available within the EU are mostly uncoordinated, while American space doctrine has made space a key instrument for its supremacy and independence in this domain,\u201d he wrote. \u201cChina\u2019s exponential rise cannot be ignored. Other actors such as Russia and India are also stepping up their game.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFinally, the European space industry is now competing with giant players outside Europe, which have optimised their internal supply chains and are massively disrupting the markets (SpaceX in particular).\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_62625\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-62625\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-62625\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230701-Euclid-Launch-MC.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230701-Euclid-Launch-MC.jpg 800w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230701-Euclid-Launch-MC-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230701-Euclid-Launch-MC-678x453.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230701-Euclid-Launch-MC-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-62625\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Falcon 9 carrying Euclid climbs away from Florida\u2019s Space Coast on July 1, 2023. Image: Michael Cain\/Spaceflight Now.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The impact of SpaceX is something that has been discussed by Europe for years. A 2007 report from the Commission of the European Communities talked in part about the prospective global space industry and noted that \u201cThe entry of low-cost launchers such as the Space Exploration Technology (SpaceX) Falcon may represent a major competitive threat for established launcher manufacturers, with pricing aimed at 70 percent less than them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The launch campaign of the first launch of the Ariane 6 rocket is now finally underway with a launch date targeting summer 2024 somewhere between June 15 and July 31.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGetting Ariane 6 to launch and to re-establish Europe\u2019s access to space is of highest priority for ESA to resume regular rocket launches from Europe\u2019s Spaceport,\u201d said ESA\u2019s Director General, Josef Aschbacher in a statement. \u201cHaving the rocket stages together on the launch pad marks the start of a launch campaign and shows we are almost there: soon we will see this beauty soar to the skies.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\u2705Upper stage firing test<br \/>\u2705Transfer and verticalisation of central core<br \/>\u2705Transfer of the boosters to the launch pad<\/p>\n<p>Next up: <br \/>\ud83d\udd1cAriane 6 qualification review results expected in the beginning of May <br \/>\ud83d\udd1cPayload arrival in Kourou, French Guiana<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/esa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">@ESA<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CNES?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">@CNES<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ArianeGroup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">@ArianeGroup<\/a> are\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mCpJ8kWfyj\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/t.co\/mCpJ8kWfyj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Josef Aschbacher (@AschbacherJosef) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AschbacherJosef\/status\/1783886215982293321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">April 26, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>Secrecy for launch<\/h4>\n<p>Unlike the recent launches of Galileo satellites, there is notably much more secrecy surrounding this mission. The SpaceX mission page doesn\u2019t note that there are two satellites on board, rather just noting that this flight is called the \u201cEuropean Commission\u2019s Galileo L12\u201d mission.<\/p>\n<p>The published launch timeline is also remarkably truncated. Public information shared prior to liftoff ends with the deployment of the Falcon 9\u2019s payload fairings at T+3 min 39 sec into the mission.<\/p>\n<p>That stands in stark contrast with the most recent Galileo mission using a Soyuz rocket on December 4, 2021, which featured a launch broadcast from Arianespace that lasted more than four hours. The broadcast notably stayed through payload deployment at an altitude of 23,544 km (about 15,000 miles).<\/p>\n<p>Despite the importance of the Galileo satellite constellation to ESA and the EC, neither agency has mentioned the pending launch in the past week leading up to liftoff.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a pair of Galileo satellites for the European Commission\u2019s constellation lifts off from Launch Complex 39A on April 27, 2024. The last time SpaceX launched an expandable Falcon 9 rocket was back in November 2022, 146 missions ago. Image: Adam Bernstein\/Spaceflight Now SpaceX hit some notable milestones with the launch [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1060,831,479,1397,316],"class_list":["post-10127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-european-commission","tag-european-space-agency","tag-falcon-9","tag-galileo","tag-spacex"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10127"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10127\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}