Russia launched a military satellite Friday from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the northwestern region of Arkhangelsk, the Interfax and ITAR-TASS news agencies reported.
The Kosmos satellite will "serve the interests of the ministry of defense," a Russian space official present at the launch told ITAR-TASS.
A Molnia-M rocket carrying the satellite took off on schedule from the launch pad, according to Alexei Zolotukhin, a spokesman for the Russian military's space division, as quoted by Interfax. "The aim of the launch is to reinforce the military network already in space," he said.
The launch was the second of a military satellite from Plesetsk this year, Interfax said. According to ITAR-TASS, a total of three Kosmos satellites have been launched so far in 2006.
