MOSCOW, September 17 (Itar-Tass) —— The rocket carrier Soyuz-2.1a with the Fregat booster and the European weather satellite MetOp-B blasted off from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on Monday, September 17.

The launch took place at 20:28 Moscow time. At 20:37 Moscow time, the booster with the satellite separated from the rocket carrier. The booster will deliver the satellite to the orbit. The satellite is scheduled to separate from the booster at 21:37 Moscow time.

MetOp-B is the second satellite build by EADS Astrium for the European Space Agency and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). There will be three satellites in the series.