The other, an Algerian satellite called AlSat-1, is the first to be sent into space for an eight-satellite disaster monitoring system, according to Russia's defense trading company, Rosoboronexport. The system is designed to provide better, faster information about natural disasters such as floods, forest fires, earthquakes and volcano eruptions and reduce the response time for rescue services.

Satellite launches are an important source of revenue for Russia, but the lucrative program has been plagued with myriad problems. Just this week, the world's largest communications satellite, the Astra-1K, was lost after failing to reach orbit following its launch on a Russian rocket from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Last month, a Russian unmanned Soyuz-U rocket blew up half a minute after liftoff from Plesetsk. Space officials said later that an alien object was found in the rocket's fuel line.

The rocket that exploded was carrying a Foton-M satellite containing scientific experiments from several countries including Russia and the United States. The explosion killed a soldier and injured several other servicemen at the Plesetsk launch pad in northern Russia.