Soyuz-2-1b EKS-2 Launch

Kosmos 2518 (Tundra #2) Launch Russia has launched a Soyuz-2-1b rocket from Plesetsk Thursday carrying a Tundra missile detection spacecraft. Liftoff occurred on schedule at 06:33 UTC. This launch carried the second satellite for Russia’s EKS missile early warning system. EKS, or Edinaya Kosmicheskaya Sistema – meaning Unified Space System – is a replacement for the Soviet-era Oko early warning system. Consisting of a minimum of eight satellites in elliptical Molniya orbits, the constellation is intended