Russian defense ministry announced on Wednesday that it has effectively launched a new military satellite into Earth’s orbit using a Soyuz-2.1b rocket that took off from the city of Arkhangelsk.
The launch comes several months after Russia faced a setback in its lunar mission in August, which ended in a crash on the lunar surface.
“At 10:03 am on December 27, combat crews of the RAF Space Forces conducted the launch of a light-class Soyuz-2.1b rocket with a space device in the interest of the Russian Defense Ministry from the state testing cosmodrome of the Russian Defense Ministry in Arkhangelsk region (Plesetsk),” the ministry stated.
Officials reported that the liftoff and the rocket’s journey to its intended location occurred without any issues, and the entire process was monitored by an automated ground-control complex.
“A stable telemetry link has been established and maintained with the spacecraft,” the ministry added, noting that the onboard systems were functioning normally.
A similar launch using the Soyuz-2.1b rocket, carrying military devices into Earth’s orbit, took place in October.
The defense officials did not disclose information about the purposes or the total number of devices deployed beyond Earth.
According to the Russian space agency Roscosmos, a total of 67 launches were conducted using Soyuz-2.1b rockets between December 27, 2006, and November 25, 2023, delivering 577 devices into space.
In late August, Russia launched its lunar lander Luna-25 mission to the moon, which failed to achieve its stated objectives, crashing on the moon after an unsuccessful orbital maneuver on August 19.
This incident marked Russia’s first lunar mission since 1976, posing a significant setback to the Russian space program. Despite the failures, Moscow has expressed determination to pursue its space ambitions.
The failure of the lunar mission raised concerns about the state of Russia’s space program, which has faced challenges since the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized a commitment to analyzing the causes of the failure and addressing them in future missions, stating, “This is not a reason to despair or tear our hair out. This is another reason to analyze the causes and eliminate them next time.