Europe’s first polar orbiting satellite, Metop-A was placed into orbit Oct. 18 by a Russian Souyz rocket, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced. The launch was delayed for two consecutive days prior to the successful flight.

Metop-A was released from the Fregat upper stage 69 minutes after launch and placed into a circular orbit at an altitude of 837 kilometers.

Metop is a joint project of ESA and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (Eumetsat). The Metop satellites are designed to provide weather forecasting and climate monitoring.

The satellite is under the control of ESA’s European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, and has deployed its solar array. Throughout the coming days, it will undergo the first technical check-outs of its systems and deploy its antennas. Handover to Eumetsat is expected to take place Oct. 22.