Russian Space Forces Launch Soyuz-2.1b Rocket from Plesetsk

The Russian Space Forces successfully executed a rocket launch on Friday, 18 September 2026, utilizing a Soyuz-2.1b medium-class launch vehicle. The mission lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, located in the northwestern Arkhangelsk region of Russia, carrying an unspecified spacecraft into orbit.

According to official mission reports, both the initial rocket launch sequence and the subsequent insertion of the spacecraft into its designated orbit proceeded entirely as planned without reported complications.

Immediately following the liftoff from the northwestern Russian launch site, ground-based automated control systems operated by the Titov Main Test and Space Systems Control Centre successfully acquired the vehicle for ongoing tracking.

As the mission progressed past the initial launch phase, operational control of the spacecraft was officially transferred from the launch teams to ground-based facilities managed by the Russian Space Forces.

Post-insertion procedures concluded successfully when operators established a stable telemetry contact with the payload. Telemetry data confirmed that all of the spacecraft's vital onboard systems are currently functioning within normal parameters.