Russia to launch four US Globalstar satellites, this month

Moscow, May 17 (UNI) Russia will launch four US Globalstar satellites into orbit on board a Soyuz-FG carrier rocket from Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan, this month.

"Four Globalstar satellites have been transferred to a final assembly room. The assembly of a dispenser with a booster has been scheduled for May 18," Russian Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) said in a statement today.

Globalstar is a low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite-based telecommunications system founded by US-based Loral Corporation and Qualcomm Inc. It provides high-quality satellite voice and data services across North America and to over 120 countries worldwide.

Earlier, Roskosmos said the launch of a Soyuz-FG carrier rocket from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan would be conducted on May 20.

Commercial launches of Soyuz carrier rockets are managed by Starsem, a European-Russian joint venture, which comprises EADS SPACE, Arianespace, the Russian Federal Space Agency, and the Samara-based Progress design and production centre.

The current Globalstar orbital constellation comprises 48 LEO satellites, with an additional four satellites in orbit as spares.

Each Globalstar satellite consists of an antenna, a trapezoidal body, two solar arrays and a magnetometre, and operates at an altitude of 1,414 km. The service life of a Globalstar satellite is over seven years.

UNI