MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. A Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket, launched from the Plesetsk spaceport on Saturday, has delivered a military satellite to orbit, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"The space vehicle has been put into its designated orbit and taken under control by the ground facilities of the Aerospace Forces’ Space Troops," the statement reads.
A stable telemetric connection has been established with the spacecraft. "All of the spacecraft’s onboard systems are operating normally," the ministry said, adding that the launch and orbiting had gone smoothly.
The Soyuz-2.1b rocket carrying the military satellite blasted off from the Plesetsk spaceport at 11:58 p.m. (8:58 p.m.) on Saturday.