Russia's Cosmos-3M space carrier orbits military satellite

A Russian carrier rocket orbited a military satellite on Tuesday at 6:08 Moscow time (2:08 GMT), a spokesman for the Russian Space Forces said.

A Russian carrier rocket orbited a military satellite on Tuesday at 6:08 Moscow time (2:08 GMT), a spokesman for the Russian Space Forces said.

The Cosmos-3M rocket lifted off earlier on Tuesday from the Plesetsk space center in northwest Russia.

The military satellite is a new addition to a Russian network of about 60-70 military reconnaissance satellites.

The Cosmos-3M is a liquid-fueled two-stage rocket, first launched in 1967, with over 410 successful launches to date. The booster has been designed to lift a payload of up to 1,500 kg (3,300 lbs) into low, medium, and high orbits.

The previous launch of Cosmos-3M with one military and one civilian satellite was conducted on July 21, 2009.

MOSCOW, April 27 (RIA Novosti)