Posted: Thu, Aug 18, 2011, 8:21 AM ET (1221 GMT)
A Dnepr rocket placed a Ukrainian remote sensing satellite and several smaller satellites into orbit on Wednesday. The Dnepr rocket lifted off from the Yasny launch base in southern Russia at 3:12 am EDT (0712 GMT) Wednesday and placed several satellites into orbit. The rocket's primary payload Sich-2, a 169-kilogram remote sensing satellite. The rocket also launched the NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X satellites remote sensing satellites built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. for Nigeria, weighing 300 and 100 kilograms, respectively. Other satellites on the rocket included the AprizeSat-5 and -6 small communications satellites, the Turkish RASAT remote sensing satellite, and EduSat, an Italian education satellite.

Related Links:

•  NASASpaceFlight.com article
•  Spaceflight Now article
•  BBC article
•  SSTL press release
•  Kosmotras press release