Plesetsk, Russia/Paris  - Europe's space agency ESA on Monday launched a new satellite which is hoped to help provide new insights on global water circulation.

Launched from Russia's Plesetsk Cosmodrome at 0150 GMT, the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite is to collect data on salinity of the world's ocean surface and moisture held in soils.

The data is hoped to help scientists improve weather forecasts and warnings of natural disasters.

It is to circle the earth at a height of 760 kilometres. The SMOS programme, scheduled for three years, cost about 350 million euros (465 million dollars). (dpa)