Russia fails to place satellite into targeted orbit

Russia has failed to place a meteorological satellite into the targeted orbit, Russia's State Space Corporation ROSCOSMOS said Tuesday.

"Communication with the spacecraft could not be established during the first planned session due to its absence in the targeted orbit," the state corporation said in the statement, without giving details.

Earlier in the day, ROSCOSMOS said Russia had successfully launched a spacecraft carrying 19 satellites from the Vostochny cosmodrome in the country's Far East.

It said the Soyuz-2.1b rocket was scheduled to launch into orbit the Meteor-M hydro-meteorological satellite and another 18 small ones, including 17 for scientific, educational, research and commercial institutions of Norway, Sweden, the United States, Japan, Canada and Germany.

ROSCOSMOS did not specify the fate of other satellites.

This was the second launch of a spacecraft from the Vostochny cosmodrome, aimed at reducing Russia's dependence on the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.