As part of the test campaign to make sure Sentinel-2A is fit for launch, a model of the Vega rocket’s upper stage was used to simulate the shock of separation when the satellite is released into orbit around Earth. The test was also carried out using a model of the Rockot upper stage. Sentinel-2A will be launched on a Vega rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, in spring 2015, while it is planned to launch Sentinel-2B on Rockot from Plesetsk, Russia, in 2016. The satellites are being built in parallel.