GOCE Satellite To Be Transported By An-124

The latest ESA research satellite is lining up for launch from Russia's Plesetsk Cosmodrome on September 10th. First transport from the assembly site in the Netherlands will be by Antonov An-124 on 29th July before being transferred to rail for the journey to Plesetsk.

The launch of the satellite, the Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE), was earlier delayed due to a problem with the Russian Proton launcher which led to a delay in the launch date and the necessity to reconfigure the satellite into a summer launch configuration.

The GOCE satellite has been developed to increase our level of understanding of the Earth's gravity field. The main instrument being carried for this purpose is an Electrostatic Gravity Gradiometer (EGG).

It is expected that GOCE will be in orbit for at least 20 months. The data it collects on the gravity field during its voyage are crucial for developing accurate measurements of ocean circulation and sea-level change, both of which are affected by climate change as well as helping understand more about processes occurring inside the Earth.

The GOCE satellite will leave Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands and be flown to Arkhangelsk, Russia thus adding to the roll call of space hardware carried by the Antonov An-124. The empty satellite container and specific ground support equipment will return to the Netherlands by a second An-124 flight on 19th September.