On November 17, 2015 at 06:34 UTC the “Soyuz-2.1b” rocket-carrier was launched from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Arkhangelsk region, North Russia. The launch was performed by Russian Aerospace Defence Forces. The rocket equipped with the “Fregat” booster (upper stage) orbited the first in a new fleet of military satellites to detect missile launches heading for Russian territory. The satellite is believed to be the first EKS-class missile warning platform, into an elliptical Tundra-type orbit positioned over high latitudes. Russia did not release the satellite’s orbital parameters or data on its specifications and capabilities. Russian authorities officially named the new EKS satellite “Kosmos-2510”, keeping with the country’s nomenclature for defense-related spacecraft.

On November 10, 2015 at 21:34 UTC the “Ariane-5ECA” rocket-carrier was launched from Kourou Cosmodrome in French Guiana. The rocket orbited the “Arabsat-6B” and the “GSAT-15” telecommunications satellites. The “GSAT-15” satellite, owned and operated by the Indian Space Research Organization, will focus on secure and emergency communications, navigation, and video broadcasts. The “Arabsat-6B” satellite was manufactured by Airbus Defense and Space, with its communications payload provided by Thales Alenia Space. The “Arabsat-6B” will beam hundreds of television channels and broadband services across Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia for a 15-year mission.