New ESA satellite SMOS successfully lofted into orbit Event

SMOS, Erderkundungsspäher der ESA, ist am 2. November 2009 um 2.50 Uhr MEZ mit der russischen Trägerrakete Rockot-KM vom Kosmodrom Plessezk in Nordrussland erfolgreich gestartet. SMOS steht für Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (Bodenfeuchte und Ozeansalzgehalt) und ist die erste Satellitenmission zur Fernerkundung der Bodenfeuchte der Festlandareale und des Salzgehaltes der Meere. Über diese Klimafaktoren lassen sich Veränderungen in der globalen Wasserzirkulation erkennen und damit Erkenntnisse über die zukünftige Verteilung der Ressource Wasser gewinnen.

The satellite Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) was launched atop a Rockot launch vehicle provided by Eurockot GmbH. Liftoff from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia took place at 01:50 UTC (02:50 CET) on Monday 2 November.
SMOS will play a key role in the monitoring of climate change on a global scale. It is the first ever satellite designed both to map sea surface salinity and to monitor soil moisture on a global scale. It features a unique interferometric radiometer that will enable passive surveying of the water cycle between oceans, the atmosphere and land.

ESA's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission has been designed to observe soil moisture over the Earth's landmasses and salinity over the oceans. Soil moisture data are urgently required for hydrological studies and data on ocean salinity are vital for improving our understanding of ocean circulation patterns.