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Soyuz ST-B Starts Successfully from GSC. / May 24, 2016 /

On 24 May 2016 at 11:48 MSK, the Russian Soyuz ST-B with the Fregat-MT upper stage and two European Galileo FOC M5 spacecraft was successfully launched by the Russian and European experts from the Guiana Space Center (GSC, French Guiana).

9 minutes after the liftoff, the payload fairing separated from the rocket’s third stage. The spacecraft will be placed into the target orbit by the Fregat-MT upper stage. The separation of the spacecraft from the upper stage is scheduled at 15:36 MSK.

Galileo Europe’s Global Satellite Navigation System is the counterpart of the Russian GLONASS and the US GPS; it was originally conceived and developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) with the support of the European Union.

Soyuz-ST was developed by JSC „RKTs Progress“ to ensure commercial launches of spacecraft from Kourou in French Guiana. It is adapted to the requirements of the Guiana Space Center in terms of safety, telemetry system (UHF transmitters with the European telemetry frame structure), and operational conditions (high humidity, sea shipment etc). The carrier rocket is equipped with the ST-type payload fairing in full conformity with the international requirements which, combined with the Fregat upper stage provides the insertion into orbit of the widest range of payloads.

The Fregat-MT upper stage is developed by the NPO named after S.A. Lavochkin for the launch of different-purpose spacecraft. It enables a considerable improvement of the rocket’s power and operational characteristics. Fregat-MT makes it possible to place spacecraft into practically any target orbit round the Earth and into interplanetary trajectories as well.

ROSCOSMOS Press Service

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