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Venus Express probe separates successfully from carrier
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    • BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AFP) Nov 09, 2005
     The Venus Express probe separated successfully from the Fregat element of its Soyuz-Fregat carrier rocket, more than 90 minutes after being launched from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

    The head of Starsem which was in charge of the launch, Jean-Yves Le Gall, expressed delight at the "successful" separation.

    The rocket lifted off at 9:33 am (0333 GMT) and the probe separated from it to embark on its 163-day journey to Venus.

    "I'm extremely happy", European Space Agency (ESA) scientific programme director David Southwood said 10 minutes after the launch, when all systems were normal.




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