MOSCOW, May 23 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian Rokot carrier rocket with three military satellites and one civilian satellite has been successfully launched from the Plesetsk space center in northwest Russia, the Russian Space Forces said on Friday.

The Rokot launch vehicle, developed by the state-run Khrunichev Center, is a modification of the RS-18 (SS-19 Mod.1 Stiletto) two-stage ballistic missile that is being decommissioned from Russia's Strategic Missile Forces.

The rocket is designed to put spacecraft weighing less than two tons into near-earth orbits.

All commercial launches involving Rokots are carried out by Evrorokot, a joint venture in which the Khrunichev Center holds a 49% stake, and the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company holds 51%.