Russia's Soyuz-2.1b Rocket Launches Satellite Into Orbit

A Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket successfully placed a satellite into orbit, Russia's Defense Ministry reported, according to state news agency TASS.

The ministry said the spacecraft reached its target orbit at the scheduled time and was subsequently placed under the control of ground-based assets belonging to the Aerospace Forces' Space Troops.

TASS did not report additional details about the satellite's purpose or the specific launch site and timing in the excerpt reviewed. The Defense Ministry's statement, as relayed by TASS, confirmed only that the launch and orbital insertion were carried out as planned.

The Soyuz-2.1b is a Russian-made carrier rocket that has been used in the past for both military and civilian satellite launches. Russia's Aerospace Forces regularly conduct such launches to deploy and maintain satellites used for a range of purposes, including communications, navigation and surveillance.

Further details about the mission were not immediately available.