Arianespace launches Morocco's second earth observation satellite

RABAT (Reuters) - Arianespace on Wednesday launched a rocket from French Guiana carrying Morocco’s second earth observation satellite, the European launch company said. The satellite, named Mohammed VI-B, was developed by Thales Alenia Space and Airbus, Arianespace said in a statement on its website. It will be mainly used for mapping, land surveying, agricultural monitoring, prevention and management of natural disasters, monitoring changes in the environment and desertification as well as border and coastal surveillance, it said. Arianespace, majority-owned by a joint venture of Airbus and Safran, launched Morocco’s first earth observation satellite, Mohammed VI-A, last November. (Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi; editing by Jason Neely)