Russian rocket lifts off from new site

VOSTOCHNY, Russia - Russia launched a second rocket from its new Vostochny cosmodrome on Tuesday, as Moscow seeks to ease dependence on Baikonur in Kazakhstan.

Marking another milestone after the inaugural liftoff last year, the Soyuz rocket carrying a weather satellite and other equipment took off at 2:41 pm local time, as scheduled.

"All the initial stages of the rocket's flight went according to plan," the Russian space agency Roscosmos said in a statement.