France’s Corot astronomy spacecraft was placed into polar orbit Dec. 27 by an enhanced Russian Soyuz 2-1b rocket in a mission conducted jointly from Baikonur Cosmodrome by Arianespace and its Starsem affiliate.

The Soyuz 2-1b features an enhanced third stage engine as well as flight control and system upgrades. Arianespace will use the improved Soyuz for commercial missions from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

Corot was developed by CNES, the French national space agency, and will study stars to determine their internal structure, composition and age and also search for new planets.