OREANDA-NEWS. March 18, 2009. European GOCE spacecraft launched by Russian Rockot at 17:21 Moscow time, successfully separated from the Breeze-KM upper stage, and reached the orbit at 18:51. ESA DG J.-J. Dordain congratulated Anatoly Perminov, Roscosmos Head, on this joint achievement.

Rockot Launch services are provided by Russian- European Eurockot Launch Services company.

Eurockot venture has carried out 7 launches of the Russian Rockot, starting from 2000. More than 15 spacecraft were orbited for the leading space agencies and companies in the US, Europe, Asia.

Rockot is a light-class launch vehicle developed on the basis of double-stage ballistic missile RS-18, which is to be decomissioned. Rockot is used to inject spacecraft lighter than 2t into LEO. The first two stages of the Rockot LV represent RS-18`s booster. New upper stage Breeze-KM is used as the third stage.