On September 17, 2009 the Russian “Soyuz – 2.1b” rocket-carrier was launched from Baykonur Cosmodrome. The “Meteor-M” meteorological satellite and five mini-satellites were delivered to orbit. Meteor-M weighs about 2,700 kilograms (6,000 lbs) and has a service life of five years.

The satellite is designed to gather data for weather forecasts, to monitor the Earth's ozone layer and radiation conditions in the upper atmosphere, as well as to provide information on ice floe for maritime shipping in the Polar Regions.