Design Flaw Caused European Navigation Satellites Into Wrong Orbit
An investigation is blaming a design flaw for the inaccurate deployment of two satellites intended to bolster Europe’s answer to the GPS.
The results of the inquiry, released Wednesday by launch company Arianespace, said the error happened about 35 minutes into the Aug. 22 liftoff, when the satellites were sent into the wrong orbits. The inquiry found that a line of cold helium froze a crucial chemical compound in a nearby feed line.
The European Union hopes to have its 30-satellite Galileo navigation network operating fully by 2020. The European Space Agency says it hopes Galileo will provide greater precision for satellite navigation systems.
The inquiry found that the flaw in the fourth stage of the launch could be corrected in time for a planned December Soyuz mission.
- Agentic Intelligence for Claims Dominates New Tech Launches
- First Atlantic Hurricane of 2026 to Threaten US Gulf Coast
- Will California’s New Smoke Claims Law Create a Recovery Bottleneck?
- Warren, Hawley Press Insurers Over Closed, Unpaid Claims
- Credit Acceptance Reaches $710M Predatory Auto Lending Settlement With Most States
- Torrential Rain Brings Deadly Floods Back to East Coast of Spain
- Apollo’s Rowan Blasts Regulators for Handling of Walter Insurers
- The Nation’s Insurance Laboratory: What Liability Trends in California Mean for the Rest of the Country