Posted: Fri, Jun 20, 2003, 12:09 PM ET (1609 GMT)
A Russian Molniya booster launched a military communications satellite late Thursday. The Molniya-M booster lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia at approximately 4:00 pm EDT Thursday (2000 GMT, 12:00 am Friday Moscow time). The booster's payload, a Molniya communications satellite, separated from the rocket about one hour later after entering an elliptical, inclined orbit. No other details of the spacecraft or launch were provided by Russian officials. The launch was the second this year of a Molniya satellite; the first was launched in April.

Related Links:

•  Spaceflight Now article
•  AFP article
•  AP article
•  Interfax article
•  RIA Novosti article