"We are greatly relieved to hear that they are safe after their terrible ordeal, " said Peter Swift, chairman of the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme, which has been tracking the ship's saga.

CNN: Ship crew held for 1,000 days rescued off coast of Yemen

The satellite will have a number of viewing modes that will enable it to perform a wide range of roles, from flood monitoring and land cover classification to disaster mapping and maritime enforcement - notably ship tracking and oil spill detection.

BBC: Surrey to start making radar satellites

Meanwhile, the United States said it was tracking a Russian military cargo ship en route to Syria that is carrying weapons, ammunition and a small number of Russian troops.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS