PARIS (Sputnik) – The Soyuz-ST carrier rocket with the French CSO-1 optical-electronic reconnaissance satellite on board successfully blasted off from the Kourou space center in French Guiana.
The blastoff was initially scheduled for December 18, but was delayed due to weather conditions.
“The launch was planned for December 18, 19:37 Moscow time [16:37 GMT]. Due to strong winds 10 kilometers [6.2 miles] above the ground, the launch was delayed by 24 hours. It is now planned for December 19, 19:37 Moscow time,” a source in the space industry told Sputnik.
The Airbus Defence and Space company is set to produce the CSO-1 and CSO-2 for the French military to replace the latter’s Helios 2A and Helios 2B satellites, launched in 2004 and 2009, respectively.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
