The Russian Aerospace Forces (RAF) have launched a military satellite into orbit, according to the country’s defence ministry. According to military sources, the item was sent into space by a Soyuz-2.1b rocket.
“On December 27 at 10:03 am combat crews of the RAF space forces conducted a launch of a light-class Soyuz-2.1b rocket with a space device in the interest of the Russian Defence Ministry, from the state testing cosmodrome of the Russian Defence Ministry in Arkhangelsk region (Plesetsk),” the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement.
The launch and journey of the rocket to its intended orbit went off without a hitch, according to military authorities, who added that the entire procedure was monitored by an automated ground-control complex.
“A stable telemetry link has been established and maintained with the spacecraft,” the ministry said, noting that onboard systems were operating normally.
Late last month, the ministry announced a similar launch, which also involved a Soyuz-2.1b rocket launched from the same location. A similar rocket delivered several other military equipment into orbit in late October.
The exact number of devices deployed, their goals, or their capabilities in relation to any of the launches have not been published.
According to the Russian space agency Roscosmos, 67 Soyuz-2.1b rocket launches occurred between December 27, 2006 and November 25, 2023, with 577 items delivered into orbit or deeper into space.
