Envisat heads into orbit
On 1 March 2002, the European Space Agency blasted a satellite the size of an articulated lorry into space.
Envisat (Environmental Satellite) weighs over eight tonnes and will circle the Earth every 100 minutes at an altitude of 800 kilometres.
Why? Because it's going to give our planet a thorough health check.
| 
Envisat is lofted into orbit by the European launcher Ariane 5
Image: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/CSG |
|
