A few hours after the departure of the two satellite navigation system Galileo European launch was postponed. Technical problems did not allow the Soyuz to the satellites from space at a time. During the loading of the propellant of the anomalies occurred.

The company that manages the Arianespace launch services in Kourou, following the work done on the structure of the Soyuz launch and its associated controls, has decided to resume the countdown operations. The liftoff is now set for October 21 at 12.30 Italian time, 7:30 in Kourou.

The positioning system and satellite navigation European, made ​​the important contribution of 'the Italian Space Agency, would have to leave on October 20 at 12:34 Italian time (07:34 local time) from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guyana.

The double date with history for the Old Continent will, even if not yet conosxce the precise date when the Soyuz ST-B, the first to be launched from European soil, take the first two satellites in orbit of the program Galileo. This flight also marks the fact, "baptism" of the new ESA platform dedicated to the Russian launch system.

The launching of the first two satellites of the final Galileo constellation will enable Europe to adopt a system of independent global satellite navigation. That of October 20 will be the first in a series of launches planned with the Russian spacecraft. The start of the next two satellites is scheduled for 2012. These first four aircraft will form the operational core of the entire orbiting constellation. The Galileo satellites will be placed in orbit at an altitude of 23,600 kilometers and the entire constellation will be completed by 2019 through the launch, which will follow in October 20. Galileo is designed to ensure in the first three months of 2014 three services : a basic (Open Service), a governmental service (Related Public Service) and a search and rescue (Search and Rescue Service).

"The release of October will be a perfect example of European and international cooperation, said the director general of 'Esa Jean-Jacques Dordain. "On the one hand we have the first satellite in orbit operational Galileo, the result of collaboration between the EU and ESA. On the other hand, this is the first release that will be conducted by French Guyana, a project made possible through cooperation between ESA and Russia, "said Dordain. Galileo will support several compartments of the European network power, process management companies, financial transactions, shipping industry, rescue and peacekeeping missions. These are in fact all sectors that depend on satellite navigation.

The historic event will be broadcast live streaming AsiTV.it