MOSCOW, March 3. /TASS/. The launch of the Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket and the insertion of a military spacecraft into the estimated orbit took place in a normal mode, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
On Monday at 1:22 a.m. Moscow time (11:23 p.m. GMT Sunday), the Russian Aerospace Forces successfully launched a medium-class Soyuz-2.1b rocket carrying a military orbital vehicle from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk Region.
"The launch of the rocket and the insertion of the spacecraft into the intended orbit were carried out in a normal mode. After the launch, the Soyuz-2.1b medium-class carrier rocket was controlled by the ground-based automated control complex of the Titov Main Test and Space Systems Control Center. At the estimated time, the spacecraft was placed in the target orbit and taken under control by ground-based means of the Aerospace Forces' space detachment," the ministry said.
A stable communication link with the spacecraft was established and maintained, and its on-board systems are functioning properly, it added.