The second satellite to join the constellation that forms the European Data Relay System (EDRS) has been successfully launched.

The satellite was launched on board an Ariane 5 from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 6 August at 21:30 CEST (19:30 UTC).

EDRS enables people to observe Earth almost live, accelerating responses to emergency situations and spurring the development of new services and products that create jobs and increase prosperity.

EDRS – dubbed the ‘SpaceDataHighway' by its private operator Airbus – uses innovative laser technology to dramatically cut the time needed for Earth observation satellites to deliver information to the ground.