MOSCOW, Dec. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- Russian Space Forces on Friday launched two satellites, which were developed for space and scientific research, the Interfax news agency reported.

    A Tsiklon-3 rocket blast off from Russia's Plesetsk cosmodrome in the north, sending a Sich-1M satellite and a smaller KS5MF2 satellite into near-earth orbits.

    Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, Economic and Trade Minister German Gref, Russian Space Agency chief Anatoly Perminov and other senior officials attended the launch.

    The Russian-Ukrainian Sich-1M will carry out remote sounding ofthe earth's natural features and ice fields in polar latitudes independently and determine temperature anomalies and clouds for weather forecasting.

    The Ukrainian KS5MF2 will obtain pictures of specified earth surface areas for economic and scientific research and test its hardware for future satellites weighing 50 to 100 kilograms. Enditem