French Spy Satellite Launched Into Orbit
A European rocket roared into space from South America, placing into orbit a surveillance satellite billed as giving France’s military new spying abilities.
The unmanned Ariane-5 lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana, Arianespace said. The spy satellite and six smaller scientific satellites were placed into orbit about an hour after liftoff.
The Helios 2A military satellite is to monitor possible weapons proliferation, help prepare and evaluate military operations and digitally map terrain for missile guidance, the Defense Ministry said. It is said to be able to spot objects as small as a textbook.
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