4 Apr 2014 10:28

European satellite Sentinel-1A put into orbit

MOSCOW. April 4 (Interfax-AVN) - The Sentinel-1A satellite has been put into orbit with the help of the Fregat-M upper stage of Russia's Soyuz-ST launch vehicle as part of the European Union's Earth observation program.

"The Sentinel-1A spacecraft has separated from the Fregat-M upper stage," a spokesman for the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) told Interfax-AVN.

The Soyuz-ST rocket was launched from French Guiana at 1:02 a.m. Moscow time on Friday carrying the Sentinel-1A satellite, which is expected to play an important role in responding to natural disasters.

After it separated from the satellite, Fregat-M performed an avoidance maneuver and entered the Earth's atmosphere at around 2:30 a.m.