LONDON, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- The British Ministry of Defense announced the successful launch Wednesday of its Skynet 5b communication satellite.
Officials say the Skynet 5b successfully lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana, the Ministry of Defense reported.
The Skynet 5b communications satellite, the second of three to be launched under a multibillion-dollar private finance initiative program, is a Ministry of Defense initiative to provide British forces deployed around the world with greater operational capabilities on land and at sea.
The satellite employs antennae technology that officials say provides greater power and data rates, significantly boosting operational efficacy.
"This is very good news for our armed forces," British Minister for Defense Equipment and Support Baroness Ann Taylor said in a statement. "Once complete, the Skynet program will bring significant improvement in our global communications systems, especially for deployed operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and at sea."
The Ministry of Defense has partnered with Paradigm Secure Communications and EADS-Astrium for the satellite program.
