The Soyuz-2.1b flight from Plesetsk with an undisclosed payload produced a dramatic “space jellyfish” glow

Russia has successfully launched a Soyuz-2.1b rocket carrying a military-related spacecraft from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Arkhangelsk Region, the Defense Ministry has said.

In a statement on Saturday, the ministry said the rocket’s launch and the spacecraft’s deployment proceeded without issues, adding that “at the designated time, the spacecraft was placed into its target orbit and taken under control by ground-based Space Forces systems,” and that its onboard systems were operating normally.

The launch produced a striking “space jellyfish” phenomenon over the neighboring Komi Republic, where residents filmed a bright plume spreading into translucent streaks across the night sky.…