Russia launches new military asset into orbit (VIDEO)

The classified satellite blasted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome overnight

Russia has launched a classified military payload into space, carrying out its second orbital mission in a week.

The military launch took place overnight from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia’s Arkhangelsk Region and was conducted by the country’s aerospace forces.

The exact nature of the payload was not disclosed, though it appears to be a satellite. Officials said the spacecraft successfully established communications with ground control after reaching orbit.

A medium-lift Soyuz-2.1b rocket was used for the mission, according to the Defense Ministry and space agency Roscosmos.

On Wednesday, Roscosmos carried out another launch using a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, sending the Progress MS-35 cargo spacecraft into orbit with 2.4 tons of supplies for the International Space Station (ISS).

The unmanned freighter is scheduled to dock with the station over the weekend.