On June 2, 2010 at 01:59 UTC the Russian "Rockot” rocket-carrier was launched from Russian Plesetsk Cosmodrome to orbit the Japan SERVIS-2 satellite.
photo by Roskosmos
SERVIS-2 is an acronym for the second spacecraft in the "Space Environment Reliability Verification Integrated System" program conducted by USEF under a contract from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).
The purpose of SERVIS-2 is the verification of commercial off - the - shelf (COTS) parts and technologies in the severe space environment. The Institute for Unmanned Space Experiment Free Flyer (USEF) of Tokyo, Japan and Eurockot Launch Services GmbH of Bremen, Germany signed a contract for the launch of the SERVIS-2 spacecraft on a Russian Rockot small launch vehicle in 2007.
Eurockot Launch Services GmbH is the joint venture of EADS Astrium and Russian Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, Moscow. The joint venture provides launch services on a Khrunichev-built Rockot LV to operators of low earth orbit satellites.
Rockot is a three stage liquid propellant launcher based on the converted Russian RC-18 (SS-19) Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. The launch vehicle comprises of a booster unit and an upper stage, Breeze KM. This booster unit consists of the SS-19 ICBM which provides the first and second stages of the Rockot. Russia’s Khrunichev Space Center of Moscow is the designer and manufacturer of the Rockot launch system and the Breeze KM upper stage. Attachments: | 
