Russian rocket brings Canadian satellite into orbit

14 December, 2007, 17:53

A Russian rocket has blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It has taken a Canadian satellite into orbit.

The Radarsat-2 satellite will be used to survey for oil and mineral deposits as well as monitor the environmental changes in the Canadian Arctic.

It will also be used in rescue operations and tracking maritime traffic.

Commercial launches of Soyuz carrier rockets are managed by Starsem, a European-Russian joint venture. It offers rockets for a broad range of missions from telecoms to earth observation.