The gaffe European GPS – Deia

A report by Marta M. Garcia – Saturday, August 30, 2014 – Updated at 06: 04h

L OS first two operational Galileo navigational satellites geospatial European system, located in the wrong orbit, it will not serve as the French representative in the project and president of the National Centre for Space Studies ( CNES) of France, Jean-Yves Le Gall.

While the European Space Agency (ESA) is cautious about the use of these two devices, positioned last Friday in a wrong orbit and with whom you have contact from Earth, Le Gall was much more exhaustive indicating that not work for the satellite navigation system in Europe wants to compete with the American GPS.

The consequences of this error almost certainly cause delays in shipments following satellites

“Do not be recoverable (for navigation) because its orbit is not circular as it should have been and therefore are not in good standing in an orbital plane. There may, therefore, serve the Galileo mission , “said exastronauta in an interview published yesterday Magazine Usine Nouvelle . Le Gall said, however, Doresa and Milena, the name of the two satellites, may serve to “make orbit test and validate its operation.” The head of the French space center said that “the consequences” of this error “be limited”, although it may cause a delay in shipments following satellites of the Galileo constellation. To do this, he said, is necessary as soon as possible to be aware of the reasons for failure, to continue immediately with the launcher, which provides a new one in December. Galileo provides consist of 24 satellites, of which six are spare, Le Gall recalled.

A is ahead of the first conclusions of the commission of inquiry set up to analyze this error, planned for the next day 8 Le Gall, who for years chaired the space launch consortium Arianespace, responsible for it , issued his first hypothesis.

“The most likely dysfunction occurred on the fourth floor of the Soyuz, called Fregat , which puts satellite in its final orbit after two consecutive drives. For an unknown reason, the second pulse is not given in the right direction, “he said.

Le Gall said the Russian Soyuz rocket is not to blame for the error, but the system Fregat , conceived jointly by Russian and European. The president of CNES it comes “from a production error” that may be linked to the problems facing the Russian space industry in recent years.