The Russian Aerospace Forces successfully launched a Soyuz-2.1b medium-class rocket carrying a spacecraft into orbit on Friday. According to the Russian Defense Ministry and the national space agency Roscosmos and the launch was conducted from the state test spaceport at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the northwestern Arkhangelsk region.
The mission proceeded entirely according to plan. Following liftoff the rocket was continuously tracked by ground-based automated systems at the Titov Main Test and Space Systems Control Center.
The spacecraft reached its designated target orbit on schedule and its control was successfully transferred to the ground-based facilities of the Aerospace Forces’ Space Troops. Defense Ministry officials confirmed that stable telemetry communication has been established with the satellite and all onboard systems are functioning normally.
The spacecraft was launched on behalf of the Russian Defense Ministry. While the exact operational purpose of the payload was not disclosed, the flawless launch marks another routine and successful deployment for Russia's military space program.
