Russian Space Forces today launched three new military satellites aboard the Rokot launch vehicle, shown here third from left. They'll join a network of an estimated 60 to 70 spy satellites.
The liftoff from the Plesetsk space center in northwest Russia is the second Rokot launch this year. In March, a Rokot carried the European Space Agency (ESA) GOCE gravity-research mission into orbit.
Military analysts say that the new Cosmos-class craft most likely will join the chain of early-warning missile detection sentinel satellites. The Russian Federal Space Agency gave no mission details other than to identify the Rokot as a a three-stage demilitarized RS-18 rocket.
It's not known if Russia is beefing up its early warning systems as a reaction to recent North Korean missile launches.
Image: comparison of Russian rockets, Russian Federal Space Agency
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