MOSCOW, Aug. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- Russia launched a satellite designed to probe the surface of Earth Friday night, the Space Forces said.

   The Monitor-E satellite lifted off on a Rokot carrier rocket from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia at 22:34 Moscow time (1834 GMT), Space Forces spokesman Colonel Alexei Kuznetsov told the Itar-Tass news agency.

   The 750-kilogram satellite was put into a Sun-synchronous orbit 540 km above Earth one and a half hours later.

   The Monitor-E will be used to assess the aftermath of emergency situations, map surface areas, survey agriculture and forestry conditions. It can also be helpful in ecological monitoring, geological cartography and the search for mineral resources. It is designed to operate for five years.

   The Rokot carrier rocket was converted from the RS-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (SS-19 under NATO classifications). The rockets have made four successful launches from Plesetsk since 2002.  Enditem