US "Electron" rocket successfully launches group of French satellites

A US "Electron" rocket launched from New Zealand on September 21, successfully placing five French Internet satellites from Kineis into orbit, according to developer Rocket Lab.

The mission, named "Kinéis Killed the RadIOT Star," was the second of five launches for Kineis, a French company focused on Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The satellites were deployed into a 400-mile-high (643 kilometres) orbit about 66 minutes after launch, just as planned.

The IoT refers to connected devices that exchange data with each other and the cloud. The technology can be used for everything from live-tracking shipping containers to updating the list of items in a fridge.

The "Electron" rocket lifted off from a launch complex on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula at 11:01 a.m. local time, with the satellites deployed about an hour later.

These mini-satellites, each weighing 30 kilograms, are part of a planned orbital constellation of 25 similar satellites. Currently, ten satellites are in space; the first group of five was launched on June 20 during a mission called "No Time Toulouse."