Meridian 5 was launched on a Soyuz-2.1b rocket with a Fregat upper stage, from Site 43/4 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.
[2] The launch took place at 12:08 UTC on 23 December 2011, with the rocket performing nominally during first and second stage flight.
Telemetry recorded by NPO Lavochkin, however, indicated that the rocket had veered off course 425 seconds after launch, with data suggesting that there had been an explosion.
[2] It was the first orbital launch to be conducted by the Aerospace Defence Forces, which had been formed at the beginning of the month.
One piece of debris fell through the roof of a house in Cosmonaut Street in the village of Vagaitsevo.