Russia launches two European satellites
RUSSIA: Russia has successfully launched two European scientific
research satellites with a Rokot carrier rocket from the Plesetsk space
center in northwest Russia early Monday, said a spokesman for the
Russian Space Forces.
The carrier rocket blasted off with the SMOS and the Proba-2
satellites at 04:50 am Moscow time (0150 GMT), said Aleksei Zolotukhin.
The SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) is scheduled to enter its
orbit at an altitude of 756 km at 06:00 a.m. Moscow time (0300 GMT), and
the Proba-2 (Project for On-Board Autonomy) mini-satellite at 07:50 a.m.
Moscow time (0450 GMT), he added.
The launch mission of the 665-kg SMOS spacecraft is within the
framework of the Living Planet Program of the European Space Agency (ESA).
The SMOS can produce global maps of high resolution and sensitivity
showing variations in soil moisture and saline levels in the oceans.
In March, another satellite included in the program which will
measure and map the earth’s gravitational field, the Gravity field and
steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite, has already
been successfully put into orbit.
Moscow, Xinhua |