Russia successfully launches two European satellites

11:33, 2 November 2009

MOSCOW. November 2. KAZINFORM. A Rokot carrier rocket with two European satellites has been successfully launched from the Plesetsk space center in northwest Russia, a spokesman for the Russian Space Forces said on Monday; Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.

"A Rokot carrier rocket with the SMOS spacecraft and the Proba-2 mini-satellite, developed under European Space Agency's initiative, has been successfully launched," Aleksei Zolotukhin said, adding the launch took place at 4:50 a.m. Moscow time (1:50 GMT).

He said the SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) spacecraft will be put into orbit at 6:00 a.m. Moscow time (3:00 GMT), and the Proba-2 mini-satellite at 7.50 a.m. Moscow time (4:50 GMT).

Once in orbit at an altitude of 756 km (470 miles), the 665-kg SMOS spacecraft will produce global maps of high resolution and sensitivity showing variations in soil moisture and saline levels in the world's oceans. The mission is part of ESA's Earth Explorer Envelope Program.

The 130-kg Proba-2 (Project for On-Board Autonomy) research satellite will test new technologies for autonomous space missions for ESA's Technology Directorate; Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version.

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