"On Friday, February 9, combat crews of the space forces of the Aerospace Forces launched a light-class launch vehicle Soyuz-2.1v with a spacecraft in the interests of the Russian Ministry of Defense from the State Test Cosmodrome of the Defense Ministry (the Plesetsk cosmodrome) in the Arkhangelsk Region at 10:03 [local time, 07:03 GMT]," the ministry said in a statement.
The last time a rocket of the same class was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome was in late December 2023.
The Russian Soyuz-2.1v carrier rocket is an advanced variant of the Soyuz launch vehicle, designed to deliver satellites into low Earth orbit. Equipped with upgraded engines and avionics, the Soyuz-2.1v offers increased reliability, flexibility, and efficiency compared to its predecessors.