spacetoday.net: Russia launches GLONASS satellite

Posted: Sat, Apr 27, 2013, 9:51 AM ET (1351 GMT)
A Soyuz rocket placed a new satellite for Russia's GLONASS navigation system into orbit on Friday. The Soyuz 2-1b rocket lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia at 1:23 am EDT (0523 GMT) Friday and placed a GLONASS-M satellite into orbit successfully, according to Russian military officials. The spacecraft will join a constellation of 23 active satellite, plus several spares, that have been providing global coverage since 2011. The launch was the third for the Soyuz family of rockets in a week, after launches of a Bion biological research spacecraft last Friday and a Progress cargo spacecraft on Wednesday, both from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.