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MOSCOW (BNS): Russia on Saturday launched a classified military satellite and three civilian satellites into the orbit.

The Rokot launch vehicle blasted into space from the Plesetsk space centre in northern Russia on 01:35 GMT, as reported by RIA Novosti.

The payloads include a Cosmos class military satellite plus two Gonets-M telecom satellites and a MiR scientific microsatellite.

The satellites were put into designated orbits at 03:21 GMT, as scheduled.

The military satellite will join a Russian network of about 70 military reconnaissance satellites.

The light-class Rokot launch vehicle is a modified version of the Russian RS-18 (SS-19 Stiletto) intercontinental ballistic missile, the news report added.