Posted: Fri, Oct 1, 2010, 9:59 AM ET (1359 GMT)
A Molniya rocket launched a Russian military satellite late Thursday. The Molniya-M rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in northern Russia at 1:01 pm EDT (1701 GMT) Thursday and placed Kosmos 2469 satellite into a highly elliptical orbit. The purpose of the satellite was not disclosed by Russian officials other than that it will be used for military purposes, but Western observers believe the satellite is an Oko early warning satellite. The launch was the first for a Molniya rocket since December 2008 and, according to one source, perhaps the last for the Molniya launch vehicle, which is being replaced by the Soyuz 2.

Related Links:

•  RIA Novosti article
•  Xinhua article