MetOp-A will be launched on a Soyuz/ST Fregat rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in July 2006. The Soyuz rocket was first used in 1963 and has since launched more than 1,700 times. Other ESA missions such as Mars Express and Venus Express were also launched on Soyuz.
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. All three stages use liquid oxygen and kerosene as fuel.