#vs11

Soyuz to make second flight in two hours

The second Soyuz launch of today is just under 30 minutes away from launch!

Arianespace will launch a Soyuz 2-1B rocket with two Galileo navigation satellites at 5:46 PM EDT from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The satellites are the 7th and 8th vehicles in the Galileo constellation, which will see 20 operational satellites in orbit by the end of the decade.

Two satellites can be launched at a single time by the Soyuz, which Arianespace has operated since 2011. Today’s mission is designated VS11 in the company’s launch designation system.

The mission will last 3 hours and 47 minutes from liftoff to satellite deployment in Medium Earth Orbit. Operational altitude will be just under 14,500 miles.

This is not the first time two Soyuz vehicles have been launched on the same day; the most recent occurrence was June 25, 2013 when the Resurs-P1 and four O3B satellites were launched just two hours apart. The dual launch poses challenges for the tracking personnel at TsSKB, since they are the only laboratory equipped for Soyuz’s tracking equipment.

Provided the VS11 mission lifts off on time, Galileo satellite deployment will occur at 9:34 PM EDT, just minutes before Soyuz TMA-16M docks to the International Space Station at 9:36 PM EDT.