🇷🇺 Light launch vehicle "Angara-1.2" for the first time launched a military satellite into orbit

Russia on Saturday successfully put into orbit a military satellite launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Archangelsk Region.

The official Tass agency said the Russian Aerospace Forces launched the Angara-1.2 light rocket with a military satellite from the Plesetsk space center in the northwest of the country.

“The spacecraft launched by the combat crew of Space Forces of the Russian Aerospace Force from the Plesetsk state test cosmodrome separated from the rocket at 23.18 (Friday) Moscow time and was put to the final orbit at the estimated time,” the Defense Ministry said.

“The satellite was taken for tracking by terrestrial aids of the Titov Main Test Space Center.”

The Angara-1.2 light launch vehicle accomplished the test, Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin wrote on his Telegram channel.

“The elegant, light Angara came through for us and successfully passed the test. I congratulate everyone involved with the successful launch,” Rogozin said.

It was the second launch of the lightweight version of the Angara launch vehicle but the first of the Angara-1.2 with the satellite.

The first launch of this rocket version took place on July 9, 2014.

The rocket has two stages and can launch up to three tons of payload into low Earth orbit.