The Russian Aerospace Forces, part of the country's armed forces, launched a "Soyuz" rocket with a spacecraft for defense purposes, RIA Novosti reported this morning, quoted by BTA, citing a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry.
According to the statement, the "Soyuz-2.1b" rocket took off from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region in northern Russia. No further details were reported.
The Russian "Soyuz" is launched as needed for missions into space, including carrying equipment and astronauts to the
International Space Station.
According to the European Space Agency, Soyuz rockets have been launched nearly 1,700 times so far.
Soyuz launches for scientific and research purposes are usually announced by the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
The Plesetsk Cosmodrome is used to launch rockets carrying military satellites. In October last year, the cosmodrome was also used for a test launch of the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile, Reuters notes.