MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. The launch of the Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with a spacecraft from the Plesetsk spaceport went according to plan, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

"The launch of the carrier rocket and the placement of the spacecraft into its intended orbit proceeded as planned. After launch, the medium-class Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket was tracked by the ground-based automated control system of the German Titov Main Test and Space Systems Control Center," the ministry said in a statement.

The spacecraft was put into its target orbit at the scheduled time and was placed under control of ground-based assets of the Aerospace Forces’ Space Troops, the ministry reported. "Stable telemetry communication with the spacecraft has been established and maintained, and its onboard systems are functioning normally," the ministry added.