Twin navigation satellites launched by Soyuz rocket

A Soyuz rocket boosted two validation platforms from French Guiana into orbit Friday for Europe's Galileo navigation network, setting the stage for further launches every six months over the next few years to build a constellation of satellites beaming global positioning services to airplanes, automobiles and millions of users. The identical 1,543-pound satellites blasted off at 1815 GMT (2:15 p.m. EDT) atop a 151-foot-tall Soyuz 2-1b launcher, climbing into a mostly clear sky over the Guiana Space Center, a European-run base on the French Guiana coast near the community of Sinnamary. More

(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Oct 13)