MetOp-A will be launched on a Soyuz/ST Fregat rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in July 2006. Following the separation Stage-3 the Fregat and the satellite continue their journey into space. At this stage the vehicle is relatively close to Earth and it takes another hour or so before the vehicle reaches its orbital altitude of 800 km. This part of the launch is referred to as the Fregat coast phase.