Arianespace and its Russian partners report that the governmental spacecraft was accurately placed on the target orbit. This was the eighth Soyuz family mission in 2013.

With the introduction of Soyuz at the Guiana Space Center (CSG) and its successful historic launch on 21 October 2011, this famed Russian medium-class launch vehicle became an integral part of the European launch vehicle fleet, together with the heavy-lift Ariane 5 and the lightweight Vega. Offered to the commercial market, the Soyuz in French Guiana is Europe’s reference medium-class launch vehicle for governmental and commercial missions.  

About Arianespace

Arianespace is the world’s leading satellite launch company, providing innovative services to its customers for more than 30 years since 1980. As of 7 June 2013, 213 Ariane launches, 30 Soyuz launches (four from the Guiana Space Centre and 26 from Baikonur with Starsem) and two Vega launches have been performed. Ariane 5, which is the workhorse of Arianespace, achieved 55 consecutive successes with a 97.5 success rate for Ariane 5 ECA, the version used mainly to launch commercial geostationary satellites. The company has an order book worth 20 Ariane 5, 11 Soyuz and three Vega launches, which is equivalent to three years of business.