Rockot launches Swarm successfully

November 22, 2013

Eurockot Launch Services GmbH successfully launched the three satellite Swarm constellation for the European Space Agency today at 12:02 hrs UTC (13:02 hrs CET) with a Rockot launcher from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Northern Russia. Rockot orbited the Swarm Earth Explorer mission into an orbit of 87.6 degrees at 490 km altitude. This launch was Eurockot's third successful launch for the European Space Agency.

Swarm is a constellation of three satellites which will explore the Earth`s magnetic field and its change with unique accuracy. As part of ESA’s Living Planet Programme Swarm will provide a unique inside view of the Earth and will broaden our understanding of atmospheric processes and ocean circulation which effect climate and weather. Each Swarm satellite has a mass of 500 kg and after their simultaneous release from the Rockot launcher will move into different polar orbits using their own propulsion systems. All three Swarm satellites were built by Astrium GmbH at Friedrichshafen.

Eurockot's launch vehicle Rockot launched the Swarm constellation from its dedicated launch pad LC133 at Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Northern Russia, about 800 km from Moscow.

Eurockot's next missions in late 2014 and early 2015 will be the launches of the Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-3A satellites. Both spacecraft are part of the range of satellites belonging to the Copernicus programme financed by the European Union. Eurockot was contracted to perform the launches by the European Space Agency in February 2012. 

Eurockot Launch Services GmbH is the joint venture of EADS Astrium (51%) and Khrunichev Space Centre (49%) and performs launch services for operators of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites using the flight-proven Rockot launch vehicle.