Russia launched a Cosmos military satellite with a Cyclone-2 carrier-rocket from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Sunday.

The rocket blasted off at 11 a.m. Moscow time (0800 GMT) and the satellite was put into orbit to supplement the orbital group of the Russian Defense Ministry, and now it is monitored effectively, the Interfax quoted the Russian Defense Ministry's Main Center for Testing and Controlling Space Vehicles as saying.

The Cyclone-2 carrier-rocket is based on the R-36 ballistic missile, which was re-built into a carrier-booster by the Ukrainian design bureau Yuzhnoye. Cyclone carrier-rockets are manufactured by the Yuzhny Machine-Building Enterprise (Yuzhmash). The blast-off of the rocket was immediately registered by radars of the Russian Space Missile Defense (RKO), said the press service of the Russian Strategic Missile Troops (RVSN), cited by the Itar-Tass news agency.

RKO troops are used to detect launchings of Russian and foreign ballistic missiles, to determine the start of an enemy missile attack and to flash out information about it to the supreme bodies of state and military leadership of the country.

These troops conduct reconnaissance and control of near-earth space, notify flights of foreign spy and other space systems.

Initially, the launch was set for Thursday, but was subsequently put off until Friday because of bad weather. However, the launch did not take place Friday due to a malfunction on one of the on-board systems at the final stage of preparations. (Xinhua)