Rokot Launch with SMOS and Proba-2 from Plesetsk

November 2, 2009 - Plesetsk Cosmodrome.
The second satellite in ESAs Earth Explorer series the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission and the second demonstration satellite under ESAs Project for Onboard Autonomy (Proba-2) were launched into orbit last night from northern Russia.
SMOS will play a key role in the monitoring of climate change on a global scale. It is the first ever satellite designed both to map sea surface salinity and to monitor soil moisture on a global scale. It features a unique interferometric radiometer that will enable passive surveying of the water cycle between oceans, the atmosphere and land.
Travelling piggyback on the launch of SMOS, Proba-2 is a follow-on to the highly successful Proba-1 satellite launched in 2001. It will demonstrate 17 advanced satellite technologies such as miniaturised sensors for ESA's future space probes and a highly sophisticated CCD camera with a wide angle view of about 120º while carrying a set of four science instruments to observe the Sun and study the plasma environment in orbit.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• rokot
• smos
• proba
• proba-2
• esa
• rocket
• russia
• plesetsk
• cosmodrome
• november
• 2009