The Corot mission is led by the French space agency (CNES), with contributions from Esa, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain and Brazil.

BBC: Telescope sees smallest exoplanet

Quite how much time there was to act before conditions became intolerable was not yet clear, said Christophe Bonnal from the French space agency (Cnes).

BBC: 'Urgent need' to remove space debris

One of the shots released by the French space agency (Cnes) is of central Paris, showing the Louvre and the Place De La Concorde - "naturellement".

BBC: Sharp-eyed Pleiades returns first pictures

The satellite built in collaboration with France will carry two climate tools developed for analysing ocean current and sea surface heights by the French space agency CNES, reports say.

BBC: India launches seven satellites

"In French Guiana, this will be same - plus, we will have the capacity to telecommand to stop the engine, " explained Jean-Marc Astorg, from the French space agency (Cnes), who has led the Soyuz in French Guiana project.

BBC: A rocket abroad - Soyuz in French Guiana