Russia puts Meridian communications satellite into orbit

A Meridian communications satellite has been put into orbit by a Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket, launched from Russia's Plesetsk space center, the Russian Defense Ministry's spokesperson told (RIA Novosti) Thursday.
"The Soyuz-2.1a carrier-rocket, launched Thursday, has successfully put the Meridian satellite into orbit," Col. Alexei Zolotukhin, a spokesperson for Russia's Aerospace Defense Forces said.
This is the seventh Meridian satellite put into orbit. Two of the previous six launches were unsuccessful, while one was declared partially successful.
The last successful launch of a dual-purpose Meridian-series telecoms satellite took place on November 14, 2012. The satellite was put into orbit by a Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket launched from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia.
Meridian-series communication satellites are used for both civilian and military purposes. They are designed to provide communication between vessels, airplanes and coastal stations on the ground, as well as to expand a network of satellite communications in the northern regions of Siberia and the Russian Far East. These satellites are designed to replace the older Molniya series.