Morocco launched its second satellite Mohammed VI-B on Tuesday, November the 20th, in Kourou, French Guiana, says Space News. The launching operation was conducted by an Arianespace Vega rocket, the world's first commercial launch service provider. Mohammed VI-B satellite was placed in the same orbit as Morocco's first satellite (Mohammed VI-A) launched a year ago by the same operator. The liftoff took place at 8:42 p.m. and the satellite «separated from the rocket in low Earth orbit about 55 minutes later», said the same source. «This Earth observation satellite for the Kingdom of Morocco was developed by a consortium comprising Thales Alenia Space as system prime contractor and Airbus as co-prime», wrote Arianespace. Mohammed VI-B is the second satellite of its kind launched by the Kingdom. On the 7th of November, 2017 Rabat launched Mohammed VI-A by Arianespace and Vega. The satellite will deliver operations related to «land surveying activities, regional development, agricultural monitoring, the prevention and management of natural disasters, monitoring changes in the environment and desertification, as well as border and coastal surveillance», says the same source.
