MetOp-A was launched on 19 October 2006 on a Soyuz/ST Fregat rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Launcher consists of 3 stages, all of which use liquid oxygen and kerosene as fuel.
The four side boosters (Stage 1) and the central structure (Stage 2) ignite at the same time just before lift-off. About two minutes after launch at an altitude of around 50 kilometres the four side boosters run out of fuel and are ejected while the second stage continues to burn.