Russia Launches Earth Observing Satellite

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Russia Launches Earth Observation Satellite

Russia launched an Earth observing satellite on 15th June 2006. The Resurs-DK was launched from the Baikonour Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz-U booster carrying the satellite left the pad at 12.00 Moscow time.

Sources: ITAR-TASS, RIA Novosti

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The Starsem press release is reproduced below:

Success of the 1709th launch of Soyuz

Evry, June 15, 2006

The 1709th flight of a Soyuz launch vehicle was performed Thursday, June 15, 2006 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 2:00 p.m. Baikonur time (10:00 a.m., in Paris).

Starsem, Arianespace and their Russian partners report that the remote sensing spacecraft Resurs-DK was accurately placed on the target orbit. This was the fourth Soyuz family mission in 2006.

The next Soyuz flight will launch the Progress cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station, followed by the Starsem mission that will be accomplished for the European Eumetsat Organization, launching MetOp-A, the first European satellite in polar orbit dedicated to meteorology and climate observation.

With the introduction of the Soyuz at the Guiana Space Center (CSG), this famed Russian launch vehicle becomes an integral part of the European launcher fleet, together with the heavy-lift Ariane 5 and the lightweight Vega. To be offered exclusively by Arianespace to the commercial market, the Soyuz at CSG is Europe's reference medium-class launch vehicle for governmental and commercial missions.

Starsem is the Soyuz Company, bringing together all key players involved in the production, operation and international commercial marketing of the world's most versatile launch vehicle. Shareholders in Starsem are Arianespace, EADS, the Russian Federal Space Agency and the Samara Space Center.

The Starsem manifest for Soyuz missions currently includes contracted launches for the European Space Agency, Eumetsat, MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd and Globalstar LLC.

Source: Starsem Press Release