Launch of Soyuz from Kourou with O3b Satellites FM9-FM12 %28VS10%29

A Russian Soyuz STB rocket launched from Kourou in French Guiana today, December 18th 2014 at 18:37 UTC carrying four O3b communication satellites into orbit called FM9, FM10, FM11 and FM12. O3b communication satellites provide fast broadband via Ka-band transponders with low latency due to being four times closer to Earth than other geostationary communication satellites.

This was the 10th Soyuz launch from Kourou since 2011 and the first since a failure in the Fregat upperstage when lofting the FOC1 & FOC2 Galileo navigational satellites into the wrong orbit earlier this year.