Two European Galileo navigation satellites blasted off this morning from the Soyuz Launch Complex in Sinnamary, French Guiana.
The Russian Soyuz launcher will soon put the two satellites into a circularly medium-Earth orbit, alongside the eight currently in operation. Once in orbit, the satellites are expected to have a lifespan of 12 years.
The Galileo navigation project is being carried out on behalf of the European Commission. It's intended to work alongside the U.S. GPS and Russian Glonass global positioning systems.