20 October 2011 marked an important landmark in space history: for the first time a Soyuz was launched outside of former soviet territory, not from Baikonur or Plesetsk, but from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. This impressive twist in history also represented another important moment for Europe, as this was first Soyuz launched from Kourou carrying the first two operational Galileo satellites.

This video story recalls the incredible career of the legendary Russian rocket and its installation at the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG).

More background information can be found on: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Launchers_Access_to_Space/SEM6JRS4LZE_0.html

The MPEG-2 files are on the ESA ftp server in the folder entitled: ftp://esa.contentcoders.com/mpeg2/Soyuz-Launcher-27092012/