Erroneous Orbit: Galileo Satellites Stray From Course

A set of satellites recently launched by the European Space Agency aren't where they were planned to be, according to officials. An investigation into the matter in ongoing.

A pair of the ESA's Galileo satellites were successfully launched into Earth's orbit on Friday, adding to a growing number of satellites that will eventually make up a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) network similar to what the United States has.

However, now the ESA is reporting that the two satellites, while under control, have not aligned into the correct orbit, and are closer to Earth than they need to be for proper inter-satellite communication.

"Observations taken after the separation of the satellites from the Soyuz VS09 (rocket) for the Galileo Mission show a gap between the orbit achieved and that which was planned," said launch service provider Arianespace, in a statement.

"They have been placed on a lower orbit than expected. Teams are studying the impact this could have on the satellites," it added.

The initial results of that investigation were scheduled to be released today, but the ESA and Arianespane have yet to release any new information as of 2 pm (EDT).

According to the BBC, it's important to note that the satellites, dubbed Doresa and Milena, finally launched after a 24 hour delay due to bad weather. However, it is unlikely that this delay would have impacted the trajectory of the launch or final deployment of the satellites, as practiced techs had significant time to adjust measurements.

Also, Galileo is no stranger to delays. The project has faced years of delays while sat-nav technologies were improved and planning was adjusted. The ESA, which is building the orbital network on behalf of the European Union, expects to have 26 satellites in orbit by 2017, with 30 additions to be added in the approaching years.

To date, the project has cost the EU nearly $8 billion (USD).