Mysterious Russian reconnaissance satellite successfully launched

A small spacecraft built for the Russian military lifted off Thursday on top of a modified Soyuz booster, beginning a mission to reportedly test a compact Earth-imaging platform that could be used on future spy satellites. The lightweight payload rode a Soyuz 2-1v rocket into orbit from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, a space base around 500 miles (800 kilometers) north of Moscow. The Soyuz 2-1v rocket, a modified version of Russia’s venerable Soyuz rocket family, lifted off at 1738 GMT (1:38 p.m. EDT; 8:38 p.m. Moscow time) Thursday, according to a statement issued by the Russian Ministry of Defense. More

(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 3)