Russia deploys new military satellite

A classified military satellite, designated Kosmos-2560, was launched from the Plesetsk Military Cosmodrome in Russia’s northern Arkhangelsk Region on Saturday evening at 10:55pm Moscow time (7:55 GMT). 

Launched on the smallest carrier rocket of the Angara family, the spacecraft “successfully reached orbit” soon after, establishing a radio link with the mission control center and reporting all systems functioning after deployment, the Defense Ministry said in a brief statement.

“Combat crews of the Space Force of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a successful launch of the Angara-1.2 light-class launch vehicle with a spacecraft for the Russian Defense Ministry from the State Test Cosmodrome Plesetsk,” the ministry said.

The Russian military shared no details of the mission or technical capabilities of the satellite. A similarly secretive launch of the Angara-1.2 carrying another military satellite was conducted from Plesetsk in April.