Canada’s newest satellite, RADARSAT-2, was successfully launched earlier today aboard a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

RADARSAT-2 is the next generation of RADARSAT-1, Canada’s synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging satellite that was launched in November 1995. At 12 years of age, RADARSAT-1 has exceeded its original 5-year lifespan by at least 140%, which is very impressive for any satellite.

RADARSAT-1 provides high-quality imagery of the Earth that is generally unaffected by adverse weather, cloud-cover or nighttime. The largest user is probably the Canadian Ice Service, which uses the data to produce ice prediction maps and guide ships in the Arctic. Other uses of RADARSAT-1 imagery include environmental monitoring, hydrology, geology and forestry.

Congratulations to the Canadian Space Agency on a successful launch!