Russian Soyuz rocket launches 73 satellites into orbit

A Russian Soyuz rocket launched 73 different satellites into orbit. The largest contributor was an American company called Planet, which is responsible for 48 of the 73 satellites.

The Soyuz took off from a launch pad on Baykonur, the Russian space agency Roskosmos reported. The primary objective of the mission was to launch the Kanopus-V-IK observation satellite into orbit. This should make it easier to detect forest fires. Because there was more space in the capsule, another 72 satellites could join. Some of them were, incidentally, as small as a shoebox.

Planet, a company from the American California, contributed by sending 48 satellites in the Russian rocket. The American company was founded by former NASA employees and is committed to making images of the Earth to map developments. To get all the satellites in a good position around the earth, the Soyuz had to choose three different orbits.

The launch of 73 satellites is not the biggest mission ever. An Indian rocket launched as many as 104 satellites into space earlier this year. Planet was again well represented there, with 88 satellites.