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First satellite for the French Military's surveillance network launched on Soyuz rocket

Today at 11:37am EST, a Russian Soyuz rocket launched from Arianespace's French Guiana launchpad in South America. This also marks the last launch of the year for Arianespace.

The Soyuz carried the CSO-1 satellite, or the Composante Spatiale Optique satellite, which is the first of the French Military's new series of reconnaissance satellites. This is the new space-based surveillance network that will collect day and night imagery in visible and infrared bands.

CSO-1 weighed about 7,850 pounds (3,565 kilograms) and was launched into a low polar orbit around the Earth with a predicted lifespan of 10 years.

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