spacetoday.net: Rockot launches Japanese satellite

Posted: Fri, Oct 31, 2003, 12:52 AM ET (0552 GMT)
Rockot booster in flight (DLR/Spaceflight Now)

A Rockot booster successfully launched a Japanese technology satellite Thursday after a one-day delay. The Rockot, a converted SS-19 missile, lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia at 8:43 am EST (1343 GMT). The booster placed into a sun-synchronous 1000-kilometer orbit the Space Environment Reliability Verification Integrated System 1 (SERVIS-1) satellite; spacecraft separation took place a little over 90 minutes after liftoff. SERVIS-1 is a project of Japan's Institute for Unmanned Space Experiment Free Flyer designed to test the viability of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) electronics components in space. The launch had been scheduled for Wednesday but was delayed because of strong winds at the launch site.