Video credit: Arianespace
A Russian Soyuz rocket lifted off Friday from French Guiana with four broadband satellites for the O3b network, which provides high-speed connectivity to developing countries, ships and other customers who lack a reliable Internet link.
The Soyuz-2.1b booster launched at 1710:06 GMT (12:10:06 p.m. EST; 2:10:06 p.m. French Guiana time) from its purpose-built pad at the Guiana Space Center. The mission, managed by Arianespace, aimed to place the four O3b satellites into a circular orbit nearly 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) above the equator.
Owned by SES of Luxembourg, the O3b satellites will join 12 others already in orbit that were launched on three previous Soyuz missions in 2013 and 2014.
Read our Mission Status Center for details on the flight.
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