球衛(wèi)星導(dǎo)航系統(tǒng)(簡稱伽利略計(jì)劃)的第二顆實(shí)驗(yàn)衛(wèi)星“Giove-B”于27日搭乘俄羅斯“聯(lián)盟”號(hào)運(yùn)載火箭順利升空。雖然這顆衛(wèi)星并不屬于伽利略計(jì)劃的30顆正式衛(wèi)星,但它的發(fā)射具有重要意義。
周六,攜帶了衛(wèi)星的Soyuz運(yùn)載工具已經(jīng)在卡扎克斯坦的貝克努爾人造衛(wèi)星發(fā)射基地做好了最后發(fā)射準(zhǔn)備,將把Giove-B送入2萬3千公里上的預(yù)留軌道上。這顆由Astrium制造和開發(fā)的衛(wèi)星將把伽利略衛(wèi)星的關(guān)鍵技術(shù)首次送入太空,并且這顆衛(wèi)星是整個(gè)系統(tǒng)的開路先鋒。
另一方面,在融資前線,歐盟已經(jīng)在4月23日批準(zhǔn)了34億歐元的發(fā)行公眾優(yōu)先股的計(jì)劃。這顆衛(wèi)星的研發(fā)超過了預(yù)算和預(yù)期完成時(shí)間,此次批準(zhǔn)消除了歐盟政府去年11月決定采用納稅人的錢拯救該項(xiàng)目的最后障礙。
爭議的終結(jié)意味著必須從去年歐盟預(yù)算中沒有使用的農(nóng)場補(bǔ)貼里抽取資金并重新投向研究和工業(yè)開支。
在星期日的發(fā)射以前,Giove-B在位于荷蘭Noordwijk的歐洲航天局的歐洲航天研究和技術(shù)中心(ESTEC)進(jìn)行了最后測試。Astrium是第二顆實(shí)驗(yàn)衛(wèi)星的主要合同商,整個(gè)衛(wèi)星系統(tǒng)由30個(gè)衛(wèi)星星座提供GPS服務(wù)。
由Surrey Satellite Technology公司(Guildford, England)生產(chǎn)的第一顆測試平臺(tái)Giove-A已經(jīng)在軌正常運(yùn)行了將近3年,但是,因技術(shù)原因Giove-B的發(fā)射已經(jīng)被推遲了幾次。
作為Giove-B的主要合同商,Astrium負(fù)責(zé)開發(fā)、制造以及提交衛(wèi)星、以及有效載荷和地面控制部分。Astrium這家公司位于德國Ottobrunn的分公司供應(yīng)配備板上計(jì)算機(jī)的航空子系統(tǒng),以及在太陽能發(fā)電機(jī)內(nèi)部的光伏電池組件。
位于英國的Astrium設(shè)計(jì)和制造有效載荷,其中,包括內(nèi)部的太空無源氫微波激射器(S-PHM)的集成和測試。這個(gè)位于英國樸茨茅斯的團(tuán)隊(duì)也將負(fù)責(zé)在意大利Fucino的運(yùn)營中心的地面衛(wèi)星控制系統(tǒng)的開發(fā)、安裝和測試,以及在比利時(shí)Redu的在軌測試站(包括天線)的開發(fā)、安裝和測試。
Astrium位于馬德里的團(tuán)隊(duì)為有效載荷提供結(jié)構(gòu)和熱子系統(tǒng)、L波段導(dǎo)航天線以及在發(fā)射期間使用的有效載荷以及獨(dú)立系統(tǒng)。位于法國Les Mureaux的Astrium團(tuán)隊(duì)提供太陽能發(fā)電機(jī)的電池板。
這將是無源氫激射器技術(shù)在原子鐘之中首次在軌測試。據(jù)說與過去的導(dǎo)航系統(tǒng)所采用的?e(Rb)技術(shù)相比,其精度更高且魯棒性更強(qiáng),它將成為商用伽利略衛(wèi)星的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)設(shè)備。
Giove-B將作為一個(gè)參考并形成在軌驗(yàn)證(IOV)階段的鏈路,Astrium作為主要合同商已經(jīng)構(gòu)建了4顆衛(wèi)星。ESA預(yù)期商用伽利略系統(tǒng)將在2013年投入運(yùn)營。
在“Giove-B”衛(wèi)星成功發(fā)射后,歐洲航天局局長讓-雅克·多爾丹難掩興奮之情。他說,雖然近兩年來伽利略計(jì)劃遇到種種困難,但在歐盟和歐洲航天局的緊密合作下,伽利略系統(tǒng)的部署已變得越來越具體。據(jù)悉,歐盟委員會(huì)和歐洲航天局隨后將進(jìn)行一系列招標(biāo),制定更具體的項(xiàng)目合同分配方案,力爭如期完成地面基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施建設(shè),把30顆衛(wèi)星送入太空軌道,從而確保伽利略計(jì)劃的運(yùn)行方案在2013年之后開始實(shí)施。目前,阿麗亞娜航天公司已對上述衛(wèi)星部署計(jì)劃表現(xiàn)出濃厚興趣。
伽利略計(jì)劃對于歐盟具有關(guān)鍵意義,它不僅能使人們的生活更加方便,還將為歐盟的工業(yè)和商業(yè)帶來可觀的經(jīng)濟(jì)效益。更重要的是歐盟將從此擁有自己的全球衛(wèi)星導(dǎo)航系統(tǒng),這不僅有助于打破美國GPS系統(tǒng)的壟斷地位,在全球高科技競爭浪潮中獲取有利位置,還可以為將來建設(shè)歐洲獨(dú)立防務(wù)創(chuàng)造條件。
翻頁查看英文報(bào)道:
Anxious weekend ahead for Galileo backers
Teams that have been developing and financing the Giove-B demonstrator and test satellite for Europe's fledgling satellite navigation project, Galileo, will have an anxious weekend as the bird is scheduled to be launched in the early hours of April 27th.
The Soyuz launch vehicle with the satellite on board has already taken up its final launch position at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for putting Giove-B into its reserved path at 23,000 km. Developed and manufactured by Astrium, the satellite will carry Galileo's key technologies into space for the first time, and is a trailblazer for the overall system.
Separately, on the funding front, the European Union has ratified Wednesday (April 23) the Euros 3.4 billion public bailout of the project. The approval removes the final hurdle after EU governments decided in November to use taxpayers' money to rescue the project, which is over budget and behind schedule.
The controversial fix meant having to divert funds from unused farm subsidies from last year's EU budget and rejigging research and industrial spending.
Ahead of Sunday's launch, Giove-B underwent final tests at the European Space Research and Technology Centre ESTEC of the European Space Agency ESA in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. Astrium is prime contactor for the second trial satellite for what will be a 30-satellite constellation offering GPS services.
The first test platform, Giove-A, produced by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (Guildford, England), has worked flawlessly in orbit for nearly three years, but the launch of Giove B has been postponed several times for technical reasons.
As prime contractor for Giove-B, Astrium is responsible for developing, manufacturing and delivering the satellite, its payload and the ground control segment. The German Astrium site in Ottobrunn is supplying the avionic subsystem with central on-board computer, and the assembly of the photovoltaic cells within the solar generator.
Astrium UK designed and manufactured the payload, which included integrating and testing the Space Passive Hydrogen Maser (S-PHM) clock within it. The Portsmouth-based team was also responsible for the development, installation and test of the Ground Satellite Control system at the operations centre in Fucino, Italy, as well as at the IOT (In Orbit Test) station in Redu, Belgium, including the antenna.
Astrium in Madrid delivered the structure and the thermal subsystem for the payload, the L-band navigation antenna as well as the payload adapter and separation system used during the launch. The French Astrium team in Les Mureaux provided the panels for the solar generator.
This will be the first time the Passive Hydrogen Maser technology in the atomic clock will be tested in orbit. It is said to be far more accurate and robust than the rubidium (Rb) technology used in previous navigation systems, and will be standard equipment on commercial Galileo satellites.
Giove-B will serve as a reference and forms the link to the in-orbit validation (IOV) phase, in which Astrium as prime contractor is already building four further satellites. The ESA is expecting the commercial Galileo system to be operational by 2013.
