Satellite ice explorer lifts off
2005-10-08 19:44
Moscow - A Russian rocket carrying a European Space Agency satellite blasted off from a northern base on Saturday on a mission to gather data about polar ice and help scientists gain a new understanding of global warming.
The CryoSat satellite hurtled into orbit from the Plesetsk launch facility at about 15:02 GMT, said Franco Bonacina, an ESA spokesperson speaking by telephone from the launch site.
The satellite was expected to enter orbit at about 16:30 GMT, he said.
"Everything is going normal, according to schedule," Bonacina said. "So far, so good."
The satellite will spend three years surveying polar ice using radar altimeters to assess the kilometres-thick ice sheets that cover Greenland and the Antarctic land mass as well as the comparatively thin sea ice in the polar regions.
- AP