MOSCOW, November 2 (RIA Novosti) - Two European satellites, the SMOS spacecraft and the Proba-2 mini-satellite, were successfully put into orbit by a Rokot carrier rocket on Monday, a spokesman for Russia's Federal Space Agency said.
The satellites were launched from the Plesetsk space center in northwest Russia earlier on Monday.
"The launch of the rocket and the insertion [into orbit] took place in accordance with the schedule," the Roscosmos spokesman said.
The 665-kg SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) spacecraft, being put into the orbit at an altitude of 756 km (470 miles), is to 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.
The Rokot launch vehicle is a modified version of the Russian RS-18 (SS-19 Stiletto) intercontinental ballistic missile. It uses the two original lower stages of the ICBM, in conjunction with a Breeze-KM upper-stage for commercial payloads.
This is the third Rokot launch of 2009. In March, a Rokot launch vehicle successfully put into orbit the European GOCE satellite, which will measure and map the Earth's gravitational field. In July, a Rokot with three Russian Cosmos-series military satellites was launched by Russia's Space Forces from the Plesetsk space center.
