The Russian Federation has succeeded in launching the Meteor-M 2-3, a new satellite in a bid to upgrade its meteorological satellite system. The launch, performed on June 27, also carried dozens of smaller satellite devices into orbit. However, this was Russia's mere ninth orbital mission for the year - a stark contrast with China and the USA's 20 and 51 respective launches during the same period.
The launch of the Soyuz 2.1b rocket, which carried the payload, took place at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur region of Eastern Russia. This marked the maiden flight to. . .