Posted: Thu, Nov 15, 2012, 7:25 AM ET (1225 GMT)
A Soyuz rocket launched a satellite designed to serve military and civil users on Wednesday. The Soyuz-2.1a rocket lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia at 6:42 am EST (1142 GMT) and placed the Meridian satellite into its planned elliptical orbit at 9:00 am EST (1400 GMT). The Meridian series of spacecraft, successor to the Molniya family, is designed to primarily serve Russian military forces, although Russian media notes that the satellites have civil uses as well.

Related Links:

•  NASASpaceFlight.com article
•  RIA Novosti article
•  Spaceflight Now article
•  Itar-Tass article