And an optical mission to test laser relay capabilities from earth geosynchronous (GEO) orbit will soon follow.

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It passed far closer even than the geosynchronous satellites that orbit the Earth, but there was no risk of impacts or collisions.

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By launching closer to the equator, the rocket receives a bigger boost from the Earth's rotation, meaning it can lift nearly double the mass of a normal Baikonur payload - a maximum of three tonnes, as opposed to 1.7 tonnes, into a geosynchronous orbit 36, 000km above the Earth.

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Geosynchronous satellites are so distant that their images aren't sharp, while low-earth orbit satellites, which fly as low as 100 miles, can feed information only when they pass over an area of interest.

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Yet Inmarsat's birds cover almost the entire world: They fly in geosynchronous orbit (GEOs, as they're known) 36, 000 kilometers above the earth and thus have large footprints.

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