[Satellite TODAY 11-03-09] The European Space Agency (ESA), the Spanish Center for the Development of Industrial Technology and the French Space Agency successfully launched the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) Earth observation satellite from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia on Nov. 1, the organizations announced.
    Thales Alenia Space, the main industrial partner for this program, provided the L-band Proteus multi-mission module and was in charge of the overall satellite integration and qualification tests.
    SMOS, the fifth satellite based on the Proteus multi-mission platform, is dedicated to Earth observation and climate change studies.