Posted: Tue, Nov 29, 2011, 7:32 AM ET (1232 GMT)
A Soyuz rocket launched a new GLONASS navigation satellite on Monday. The Soyuz 2-1b rocket lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia at 3:26 am EST (0826 GMT, 12:26 pm Moscow time) Monday and placed a GLONASS M satellite into medium Earth orbit, with spacecraft separation about three and a half hours after liftoff. The satellite will join a constellation of navigation satellites nearly at full capacity. Russian officials reported prior to the launch that 30 GLONASS satellites were in orbit, including 23 active ones. The system requires 24 satellites for full global service.

Related Links:

•  Spaceflight Now article
•  NASASpaceFlight.com article
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•  RIA Novosti article
•  AFP article