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European Navigation Satellites Get Lost In Orbit

posted by n1 on Monday August 25 2014, @03:55AM   
from the return-to-sender dept.

AnonTechie writes:

The European Space Agency and the European Union want to provide an alternative to GPS — Global Positioning System, the space-based satellite navigation system operated by the United States — called Galileo, named after the astronomer who gave us the precursor of Newtonian physics. Galileo is a €5 billion project intended for civilian use scheduled to be completed and operational by 2019, with 27 satellites and 3 spares orbiting 14,600 miles above Earth.

The system suffered a setback on Saturday, though, when two satellites launched from French Guiana failed to attain their intended orbit, Phys.Org reports ( http://phys.org/news/2014-08-galileo-satellites.html ). It’s not immediately clear why there was a malfunction, and the agencies involved are investigating. In the meantime, however, Galileo’s French coordinator spoke to Agence France-Presse (AFP) ( http://www.afp.com/en/news/two-galileo-satellites-lose-their-way ) and said it will be be complicated to correct the satellites’ orbits.

http://time.com/3169484/satellites-lost-orbit/

• Bleeding obvious Bleeding obvious (Score: 2) by gawdonblue on Monday August 25 2014, @11:45AM

  by gawdonblue (412) on Monday August 25 2014, @11:45AM (#85276)

  The European Space Agency and the European Union want to provide an alternative to GPS ...
    ...
  It’s not immediately clear why there was a malfunction ...

  Isn't it?

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• Re:Bleeding obvious (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 25 2014, @05:41PM

  by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 25 2014, @05:41PM (#85397)

  No it isn't, because the rocket was russian :) with current politics re Ukraine this gets new level of possibilities. :)

  Parent