“The launch of the Soyuz-FG rocket took place in a normal regime,” the agency said. “The rocket will deliver the Russian satellites Canopus-B and MKA-PN1, a Belarusian BKA satellite, the Canadian ADS-1B and German TET-1 into orbit.”

   The five satellites were initially scheduled to launch in the first half of 2012, but the mission was delayed several times due to difficulties in determining a drop zone for the first stage of the Soyuz rocket. Kazakhstan finally issued a permit to Russia for the unplanned launch of the space vehicles from the Baikonur space center in mid-June.