Russia’s Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket was struck by lightning just 10 seconds after take-off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome… but it still weathered the tough hit.
The thunderstorm began shortly before launch of the device which is carrying the Glonass-M navigation satellite. Yet, the strike was no obstacle for the cosmodrome team, and the space journey continued as planned.
The stunning video was later published by chief of the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin.
“The weather is not a hindrance, we are an all-weather troop,” General Major Nikolai Nesterchuk proudly said. For the Soyuz-2.1b, this is the first flight from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome this year and 37th since the first test launch in 2004.
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