Russian Soyuz rocket successfully puts satellite into orbit

Zee Media Bureau

Moscow: The Russian Soyuz rocket, successfully placed a scientific earth-monitoring satellite into orbit on Sunday. There were several delays earlier this week due to an accident during testing which caused engine damage. The launch vehicle, Soyuz-2.1v, blasted off on Saturday afternoon from Russia`s Plesetsk launch pad in the north-west Arkhangelsk region. The Soyuz 2.1v is the latest addition to Russia`s Soyuz family of rockets, which has become the world`s most frequently used booster since its first launch in 1966. In 1961, a prototype of the Soyuz, Vostok, carried the first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into space. Today, its descendants are the only way to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station. (With Agency inputs)