On September 30, 2010 at 21:01:15 MSK (17:01:15 UTC) the Space Forces conducted a successful launch of a Molniya-M rocket from the Plesetsk launch site. The launcher delivered into orbit a new early-warning satellite of the 73D6 type, which will work as part of the first-generation US-KS early-warning system (also known as Oko).

The satellite received a designation Cosmos-2469. Its international designation is 2010-049A, NORAD number - 37170. The satellite was deployed on a highly-elliptical orbit with inclination of 62.8 degrees and orbital period of about 702 minutes. Apogee of the initial orbit is about 39,000 km, perigee – about 600 km.

The satellite will join two working satellites of the US-KS/Oko constellation - Cosmos-2430, launched in October 2007, and Cosmos-2446, launched in December 2008. Cosmos-2469 is deployed in an orbital plane that is located between the orbital planes of these two satellites, which means that it will complement the constellation rather than replace one of the currently operational satellites.

According to a Space Forces representative, the launch was the last launch of the Molniya-M rocket. Some reports also suggested that the satellite launched today might be the last 73D6 spacecraft available. In April 2009, the commander of the Space Forces said that two more launches of old-type satellites would take place. Cosmos-2469 is apparently the first of the two. The second one is most likely the launch of a satellite to a geostationary orbit that is scheduled for 2011 - it may be either a 74Kh6 (73D6 deployed on GEO) or 71Kh6 (US-KMO) satellite. Right now Russia has no operational geostationary early-warning satellites.

Russia has been working on new space-based early-warning system, referred to as EKS, but the Space Forces admit that its flight tests will not begin until 2011-2012 at the earliest.