Moscow, September 19, 2026 – The Europe Today: Russia has launched a classified military payload into space from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk Region, marking the country’s second orbital mission within a week.
The overnight launch was conducted by Russia’s Aerospace Forces using a Soyuz-2.1b medium-lift rocket, according to the Russian Defense Ministry and state space corporation Roscosmos.
Officials did not disclose details about the payload. However, the spacecraft is believed to be a satellite and reportedly established communications with ground control after successfully reaching orbit.
The launch comes as Russia continues to expand its satellite capabilities, including the development of the Rassvet (“Dawn”) low-Earth-orbit broadband constellation by private aerospace company Bureau 1440.
Moscow plans to deploy 156 Rassvet satellites in orbit by the end of 2026 and increase the constellation to around 900 satellites by 2035.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously said that the network “doesn’t fall short of” Elon Musk’s Starlink and could surpass it in certain respects.
Russia is also developing heavy attack drones equipped with satellite-based control systems, a capability that could potentially increase their resilience against electronic warfare and communications jamming.
The latest mission follows another Soyuz-2.1b launch conducted by Roscosmos on Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. That mission placed the Progress MS-35 cargo spacecraft into orbit carrying approximately 2.4 tons of supplies for the International Space Station (ISS).
The unmanned cargo spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the ISS over the weekend.
