Soyuz raised on launch pad in French Guiana for Arianespace’s last flight of 2018

A Russian-made Soyuz booster rolled out to its launch pad in French Guiana on Friday, and hydraulic lifts rotated the launcher vertical in preparation for liftoff Tuesday with the first in a new series of French military spy satellites. The three-stage rocket emerged from its assembly hangar Friday morning for the 2,300-foot (700-meter) rollout to the launch zone. Russian ground crews deployed on temporary duty in the jungle of French Guiana oversaw the rocket’s transfer on rail car along dual tracks leading from the hangar to the launch pad. More

(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 16)