Two stages of the booster fired flawlessly and separated on schedule. About 10 minutes after the launch, the Breeze upper stage inserted SIMSAT 1 and 2 dummy satellites into a 340-mile (547-kilometer) circular orbit with an inclination of 86.4 degrees toward the equator. After the satellites split off from the booster, the Breeze upper stage performed a deorbiting maneuver.

The lightweight Rockot booster is based on a UR 100-NU intercontinental ballistic missile built by Khrunichev Enterprise in Moscow. In the West, it is known by its NATO classification, the SS 19 "Stiletto." In March 1995, the company founded a joint venture with DaimlerChrysler called Eurockot, to market the launch vehicle internationally.

According to Eurockot, 141 out of 144 test launches of the SS 19 Stiletto missiles were successful. Since 1983, the missile was fired more then 80 times without a single failure. The Rockot launcher itself completed two suborbital, and one orbital launch in the 1990s.

The first commercial launch of the booster, which will carry a pair of NASA's GRACE science satellites, is expected next year.