Soyuz STB/Fregat | Galileo L6 (FOC FM08-FM09)

Name: Soyuz STB/Fregat | Galileo L6 (FOC FM08-FM09)
Start: 2015-12-17T11:51:56Z
Location: Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

The 7th and 8th Full Operational Capability satellites will be the 11th and 12th Galileo satellites launched, alongside the 6 FOC and 4 IOV spacecraft already in orbit. The Galileo constellation is ESA's satellite navigation system and is expected to be completed by 2020. Galileo will provide Europe with an alternative to the American GPS and Russian GLONASS constellations, but will be interoperable with both systems.

Mission Details

Launch date: December 17, 2015 at 11:51 AM UTC
Launch vehicle: Soyuz STB
Operator: Arianespace
Launch site: Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Mission type: Communications