The three Kosmos-series satellites, designated Kosmos-2488, Kosmos-2489 and Kosmos-2490, reached orbit at about 6:16 a.m. Moscow time (02:31 GMT) after lifting off from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia, Col. Dmitry Zenin said on Wednesday.

The Russian Rokot carrier rocket carrying the trio lifted off on time from at 4:31 a.m. Moscow time (00:31 GMT), Zenin said.

It was the fourth launch from Plesetsk this year of Rokot, a system based on the RS-18 ballistic missile.

Zenin did not specify what role the satellites would perform.

The Rokot launch vehicle, developed by the state-run Khrunichev Center, is a modification of the RS-18 (SS-19 Stiletto) two-stage ballistic missile that is being decommissioned from Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces.

The rocket is designed to put spacecraft weighing less than two tons into near-earth orbits.

In November, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia will launch a total of 11 military satellites by 2015.

Speaking at a meeting on the development of the Russian satellite fleet, Putin said five military satellites have already joined Russia’s orbital group in 2013 and that five more will be added to it before the year is out.

NTJ/