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Russia successfully puts spacecraft into orbit to serve its defense needs

The spacecraft was launched and orbited normally, the Russian Defense Ministry stressed, saying that it has already been taken under the control of ground-based facilities of the Russian Aerospace Forces

MOSCOW, October 31. /TASS/. A spacecraft intended to serve the needs of Russia’s Defense Ministry has reached its intended orbital path after being launched earlier on Thursday from the Plesetsk spaceport in the country’s northwest by a Soyuz-2.1a rocket, the Defense Ministry said.

Earlier reports said that Russia’s Aerospace Forces launched a Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrying a spacecraft to serve the needs of the Russian Defense Ministry at 10:51 a.m. (7:51 a.m. GMT — TASS).

The spacecraft was launched and orbited normally, the Russian Defense Ministry stressed, saying that it has already been taken under the control of ground-based facilities of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

"Stable telemetry communication has been established and maintained with the spacecraft, while its onboard systems are functioning normally," it added.

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