Arianespace Places Two Satellites In Orbit Aboard Russian-Built
Launch Vehicle
The first Soyuz launch vehicle to lift off from Arianespace's
facility in French Guiana successfully placed Europe’s first
two Galileo navigation satellites into orbit Friday. Lifting off
from the ELS launch site in the Spaceport’s northwestern
sector, Soyuz performed a 3-hour 49-minute flight to inject its two
Galileo In-Orbit Validation (IOV) spacecraft into a 23,222-km.
circular medium-Earth orbit, inclined 54.7 degrees.