MOSCOW, December 19 (Sputnik) — Russia’s Strela carrier rocket blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome with a Kondor-E radar imaging satellite, the country’s space agency Roscosmos told RIA Novosti Friday.
On Thursday, the satellite launch was postponed until Friday due to technical reasons.
Kondor is a family of light-class earth imaging satellites developed by rocket design bureau NPO Mashinostroyeniya for the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces. Kondor-E is an export version of the satellite.
The spacecraft carries a radar imaging equipment to monitor Earth and ocean surfaces. Satellite imagery can be used for ecological monitoring and to manage natural resources.
