Russia Launches Military Satellite From Plesetsk Cosmodrome - Defense Ministry

The Soyuz-2.1a rocket with the Meridian-M military communications satellite was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome, the Russian Defense Ministry said

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th February, 2020) The Soyuz-2.1a rocket with the Meridian-M military communications satellite was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"On Thursday, February 20, at 11:24 Moscow time [08:32 GMT], a successful launch of the Soyuz-2.1a, a medium-class carrier rocket with the Meridian-M spacecraft, was carried out by the crew of the Russian Aerospace Forces from launch-pad 3 of platform 43 of the State Testing Cosmodrome of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Arkhangelsk Region)," the ministry said.

This is the first launch of the Soyuz-2 launch vehicle from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in 2020. Space industry sources told Sputnik last month that the launch of Meridian-M was delayed from January 24 due to a problem with the cable network of the third stage of the rocket. To establish the cause, the rocket had to be removed from the launch complex and returned to the assembly site. It was later decided to install a new third-stage burner to the satellite and reschedule the launch for February 20.