Russia launches military satellite
Russia has successfully launched a new military satellite into orbit, officials said.
The Kosmos-series satellite was launched by a heavy Proton-K booster rocket, which blasted off from the Russia-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Russian Space Forces spokesman Alexei Zolotukhin said.
The Interfax news agency quoted Defence Ministry spokesman Alexei Kuznetsov as saying the satellite will be part of Russia's early missile warning system.
Russia has about 100 satellites in orbit, two-thirds of which serve military purposes.
The latest launch was the third one sending a Russian military satellite into orbit in 2008.
The Russian space industry still relies on Soviet-era technologies, even though the influx of oil money has allowed the Kremlin to boost military spending.
Related Stories
- 6 May 2009 US missile defence satellite launch
- 15 April 2009 China launches second GPS satellite
- 25 February 2009 Carbon tracker sat crash 'a blow'
- 13 February 2009 Satellite space crash 'catastrophic'
- 3 February 2009 Firms developing sat launch device
- 26 January 2009 Satellites to study atmospheric CO2
- 21 January 2009 Satellite breaks up in orbit
- 29 September 2008 Scientists work on tiny satellites
- 18 August 2008 Mobile satellite to be launched
- 18 August 2008 Venezuela to launch satellite
