On February 16, 2016 at 17:58 UTC the “Rockot” 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 “Briz-KM” booster (upper stage) orbited the “Sentinel-3A” European ocean survey satellite. The mission is set to last at least seven years, tracking changes in the planet’s sea level, ocean color, marine organisms like algae and phytoplankton, ice sheets, and rivers and lakes.