Second Galileo GPS satellite goes into orbit
Filed under: GPS
Finally, the EU’s Giove-B GPS satellite was shot into space by the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Strapped atop a Soyuz-FG rocket, the Giove-B reached orbit at 8:01am this morning, and is the second satellite launched for the nascent next-generation European Galileo satellite navigation system. This particular model is kitted out with dual redundant rubidium atomic clocks that the ESA says are “the most accurate in space”. The next bird — just three of thirty — is slated to go up in 2010 with a full-system launch around 2013. Until then, it looks like they’ll be stuck using the US’s crappy, less-sensitive GPS network (boo hoo).
[Via Physorg]
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