Two newly launched ESA satellites in orbit

PARIS, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency says its two latest satellites to be successfully launched into space are in orbit around the Earth.

The second satellite in ESA's Earth Explorer series -- the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity or SMOS mission -- and a demonstration satellite named Proba-2 were launched at 2:50 a.m. local time Monday (Sunday at 8:50 p.m. EST) from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia.

SMOS is the first satellite designed to map both sea surface salinity and monitor soil moisture on a global scale. Traveling piggyback with SMOS on a Russian launcher, Proba-2 follows the highly successful Proba-1 satellite launched in 2001, the ESA said. It will demonstrate 17 advanced satellite technologies while carrying a set of four science instruments to observe the sun and study the plasma environment in orbit.

Proba-2 is planned to reach operational status in two months' time, while SMOS will take longer to check and calibrate, officials said.

"We are extremely pleased with this double 'lucky strike' that will provide Europe with new tools to better understand our planet and climate change, as well as new technology breakthroughs that will enhance the competitiveness of European industry on the world-wide market, thus contributing to the global economy," ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain said.