6 October 2009 - As the first snow of the winter arrives in Plesetsk, the team has reached a significant milestone in the launch campaign – the launch authorities have given the green light to fuel the satellite.

This hazardous activity is being carried out today by members of the Thales Alenia Space team. Yesterday, preparations for fuelling were in full swing with the satellite being inspected and the equipment being set up for the procedure. In addition, the documentation needed to do the fuelling was sorted out.

Last week was spent checking the satellite’s electrics. In parallel, the Russians reported that the electrical checks carried out on the Breeze-KM upper stage in the cleanroom had been completed.

The lower two stages of the launcher were transported to the launch pad and erected in the tower and then joined by the upper stage. More tests were carried at the launch tower yesterday and will continue today.

The team were also pleased to see the banners for SMOS and Proba-2 positioned on the launch tower.