5月31日，俄罗斯“联盟”号运载火箭从哈萨克斯坦境内的拜科努尔发射场升空，成功将俄“光子-M-2”科研卫星送入预定轨道。外电报道如下：A Russian rocket carrying a satellite laboratory blasted off from Kazakhstan's Baikonur cosmodrome Tuesday on a 16-day mission.

Russia's Federal Space Agency said the Soyuz-U rocket was launched at 8 a.m. EDT and entered orbit 10 minutes later.

The European Space Agency said the Foton-M2 research satellite carries some 850 pounds of equipment to conduct more than 20 chemical, physical and biotechnological experiments.

Newts, scorpions, geckos and snails are among the animals onboard the craft for the experiments, which will be monitored from an ESA station in Sweden.

Cosmodrome表示“人造卫星发射基地，航天站”，有时特指“苏联航天中心，苏联宇宙飞船发射场”。

据悉，“光子-M-2”科研卫星携带了蝾螈、蝎子、壁虎和蜗牛等实验动物，将完成16天的太空科研任务。