Posted: Wed, Dec 3, 2008, 12:14 AM ET (0514 GMT)
A Molniya rocket launched a military satellite into an elliptical orbit early Tuesday. The Molniya-M rocket lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia at 12:00 am EST (0500 GMT) Tuesday and inserted the Kosmos 2446 satellite into an elliptical inclined orbit about an hour later. No details about the satellite were released by Russian military officials, but Western observes believe that the satellite is a Oko-class missile early warning satellite.

Related Links:

•  Spaceflight Now article
•  RIA Novosti article
•  Itar-Tass article