Posted: Fri, Aug 29, 2008, 1:09 PM ET (1709 GMT)
A Dnepr rocket successfully launched five remote sensing satellites for a German company on Friday. The Dnepr rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 3:15 am EDT (0715 GMT) Friday and placed the five RapidEye spacecraft in sun-synchronous orbits. The spacecraft, built for prime contractor MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL), each weigh about 150 kilograms and carry camera designed to provide medium-resolution imagery of the Earth. The spacecraft will be used by their owner, German company RapidEye AG, for a variety of commercial agricultural and land information products.

Related Links:

•  Space News article (subscription required)
•  RIA Novosti article
•  Itar-Tass article
•  SSTL press release
•  MDA press release