Soyuz rocket lifts off from Russia

Vostotchni, Russia- A Soyuz 2.1a charge of putting into orbit three scientific satellites was successfully launched Thursday morning from Russia's new Vostochny Cosmodrome, first release from this platform after a first failed attempt on Wednesday. "The launch of the rocket successfully took place" at the scheduled time, the 11h01 local (02H01 GMT), the Russian space agency Roskosmos said in a first statement. "The three satellites are already in orbit," the statement added. Russian television broadcast images of the rocket up to a blue sky and light wind. The launch of the Soyuz, originally scheduled on Wednesday, was witnessed by President Vladimir Putin, who traveled to the Russian Far East. A first launch attempt was automatically suspended on Wednesday, moments before the scheduled time. Those responsible for the Russian space industry then decided to postpone 24 hours rocket launch, originally planned in late 2015 and postponed several months. The final date is not set until early April. This launch took place in the absence of foreign journalists, including AFP, who were not allowed to visit Baikonur. "It often happens that" a launch is postponed, recalled Wednesday the spokesman for Roskosmos, Igor Burenkov, and emphasized that spaceport in Kourou, French Guyana, postponed thrice a Soyuz launch, which eventually took off successfully on Monday . The Russian president had criticized this failure in a meeting with officials of the sector and demanded "an appropriate and professional response", while stressed Wednesday that the postponement was due to the shuttle and not a problem of Baikonur. "Despite all the failures, Russia remains the dominant power in terms of number of space launches," Putin said. Vostochni has the vocation to take over the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which Russia rents from 115 million euros a year since the demise of the USSR to launch the Soyuz, the only way to get to the International Space Station (ISS).