Tonight, a Soyuz rocket will launch from French Guiana, carrying two satellites into space. Though the Soyuz is a Russian-made rocket, this flight will be operated by European spaceflight company Arianespace, which frequently launches rockets from the Guiana Space Center. Liftoff is scheduled for 10:08PM ET — with the satellites set to deploy more than three and a half hours afterward.
Watch a Soyuz rocket launch two Galileo satellites into space
The two satellites are numbers nine and ten of what will eventually be 30 satellites in three orbital planes around Earth. They’re part of Europe’s Galileo constellation — the goal of which is to create a reliable global positioning system for all European nations.
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