CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A classified Russian military satellite was successfully launched into Earth orbit on Friday, the Interfax news service is reporting.

Cosmos-2379, as the Russian Space Forces has dubbed the new spacecraft, took its ride into orbit atop a Proton-K rocket that blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Liftoff came at 4:34 p.m. EDT (2034 GMT) Friday and spacecraft separation took place more than six hours later.

The timing indicates the satellite delivery mission flew a standard flight profile that would lead to the placement of a large spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit over the equator.

Such spacecraft can be used for relaying communications, weather observation or electronic eavesdropping.

The Russian Space Forces statement to Interfax said Cosmos-2379 would "make it possible to considerably increase the effectiveness of the entire orbital group of the Russian Defense Ministry."

The wording tends to suggest that Russia has launched a large miltary communications satellite into orbit, similar in purpose to the United States' Milstar, which helps facilitate and manage the many voice and data signals being beamed around the world.