November 2, 2009 Two European satellites blast off into orbit Play video

(NECN/ESA) - The European Space Agency (ESA) launched two satellites on top of a Russian rocket in northern Russia on Monday.

The two satellites SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) and PROBA-2 ( Project for Onboard Autonomy) were launched from the Cosmodrome early on Monday morning from the city of Plesetsk.

Their function is to study planet Earth.

The SMOS spacecraft is to make the first global maps of the amount of moisture held in soils and of the quantity of salts dissolved in the oceans.

The data will have wide uses but is hoped to improve weather forecasts and warnings of extreme events, such as floods.

PROBA-2 is the second Project for Onboard Autonomy mission.

As a technology demonstrator, it incorporates a total of 17 new technical developments and four scientific experiments, focused on solar and space weather observations.