Molniya-M launched 2010.Sept.30

[EarthlingX]

www.russianspaceweb.com : Recent missions of the Molniya rocket
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2010 Sept. 30:

by Anatoly Zak

Russia launched a classified payload into Earth orbit, most likely an early-warning satellite to watch incoming ballistic missile launches.

The Molniya-M rocket, reportedly the last in the legendary family of space vehicles, lifted off from Russia's northern launch site in Plesetsk on Sept. 30, 2010, at 21:01 Moscow Time. Lt. General Oleg Ostapenko, the commander of the Russian space forces, traveled to Plesetsk on the eve of the launch to personally witness the event, the official Russian media said.

According to a representative of the Russian space forces, the liftoff went as planned and the payload was scheduled to reach its target orbit at 21:57 Moscow Time. Russian ground network started tracking the vehicle.

According to space forces, the goal of the mission was to replenish Russian military satellite constellation. Traditionally, Molniya-M rocket were used to deliver Oko (eye) early-warning satellites into highly-elliptical orbits. The spacecraft of this type make up a constellation known in Russia as SPRN, which is designed to detect and track launches of ballistic missiles around the world. With the retirement of the Molniya-M launcher, its duties to deliver similar payloads would transferred to the Soyuz-2 rocket.

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Wiki : Molniya-M

The Molniya-M (Russian: Молния, meaning "lightning"), designation 8K78M, was a Russian (previously Soviet) carrier rocket derived from the R-7 Semyorka ICBM. First launched in 1964, it had replaced its predecessor, Molniya, by the end of 1965. It made 297 launches and experienced 21 failures, the last of which occurred on 21 June 2005 when a third stage malfunction prevented its payload, a Molniya-3K communications satellite from reaching orbit.[1]. The final flight of a Molniya-M was conducted on 30 September 2010. It will be replaced by the Soyuz-2/Fregat.[2]

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[EarthlingX]

Russia's early-warning satellite made it to orbit successfully :

www.russianspaceweb.com : OKO satellites :

Russian ground network started tracking the vehicle. Upon reaching the orbit, the payload received an official designation Kosmos-2469.