Courtesy of AGI's Launch Notification e-mails. AGI's E-mails are sent after every launch and include key spacecraft information such as: the date, time, launch site, launcher, international number, name, and owner. Get more information on thousands of satellites and other vehicles by viewing STK models, animations, and our encyclopedic "Spacecraft Digest" database at www.agi.com/scdigest.
New Launch: 2010 October 19, 1711 UTC
Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Launcher: Soyuz 2
International Designator(s): 2010-054A, 2010-054B, 2010-054C, 2010-054D, 2010-054E, 2010-054F
SSC Name Owner
37188 GLOBALSTAR M079 GLOB
37189 GLOBALSTAR M074 GLOB
37190 GLOBALSTAR M076 GLOB
37191 GLOBALSTAR M077 GLOB
37192 GLOBALSTAR M075 GLOB
37193 GLOBALSTAR M073 GLOB
"Globalstar's fleet of orbiting communications satellites received reinforcements Tuesday, when a commercial Soyuz rocket launched from Kazakhstan and deployed six advanced spacecraft to restore the company's diminished two-way voice and data services.
"Built by Thales Alenia Space, the satellites are also the cornerstone of a rejuvenated Globalstar constellation Three more Soyuz launches are planned through the summer of 2011, bringing the company's fleet of second-generation satellites to 24 platforms.
"Globalstar officials say the transition to the new satellite fleet will be seamless for the company's 400,000 subscribers, except for a marked improvement in mobile two-way communications service.
"S-band antenna degradation on Globalstar's existing satellites has limited voice and duplex data communications since 2007. The problem has not affected Globalstar's simplex data relay and asset tracking product, according to the company.
"Globalstar subscribers use the satellite network to make mobile phone calls and data transmissions, especially in rural zones where terrestrial coverage is spotty or non-existent.
"By the middle of 2011, Globalstar officials say customers can expect a return to reliable voice and data transmissions. Until then, subscribers can use an application on the company's website to plug in their location and determine what hours satellite coverage is available."
"A Soyuz rocket launched at 1710:59 GMT (1:10:59 p.m. EDT) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Soaring into a partly cloudy night sky, the Soyuz 2-1a booster and Fregat upper stage accelerated to orbital velocity a few minutes after liftoff.
"After coasting around the world for more than an hour, the Fregat upper stage ignited again to reach the planned separation orbit. The rocket was targeting a circular orbit 572 miles [921 km] high with an inclination of 52 degrees
"Mounted on a specially-built satellite dispenser during launch, the Globalstar spacecraft were released in a choreographed sequence to avoid collisions. Two satellites bolted to the top of the cone-shaped adapter separated first, then four craft on the lower portion of the structure deployed 96 seconds later.
"The satellites' first radio signals were received by ground stations moments after spacecraft separation, according to Jean-Yves Le Gall, chairman and CEO of Arianespace, which oversees commercial Soyuz launches through its Starsem subsidiary."
"In a phone interview from Baikonur on the eve of launch, Navarra said two of the satellites launched Tuesday will enter service in about one month. It will take up to four months for the other four craft to drift to their prescribed orbital locations."
"The new satellites weigh 1,543 pounds [700 kg] at launch and are supposed to operate for 15 years, extending Globalstar's constellation life through at least 2025
"When the Globalstar launch campaign ends next year, the company's fleet will include 24 second-generation spacecraft and eight leftover first-generation satellites built as spares and launched in 2007."
Source: Spaceflight Now, "Six improved Globalstar craft orbited by Soyuz rocket"
