On 5 February 2022, at 10:00 MSK (07:00 UTC) crews of the Air and Space Forces conducted a successful launch of a Soyuz-2.1a launcher from the launch pad No. 43 of the launch complex No. 4 of the Plesetsk test site.

The satellite delivered into orbit (by a Fregat booster), was designated Cosmos-2553. It received international designation 2022-011A and registered by NORAD as object 51511.

The satellite, placed in a circular orbit with altitude of about 2000 km, was described by the Russian ministry of defense as a "Technological spacecraft [...] equipped with newly developed onboard instruments and systems for testing them under the influence of radiation and heavy charged particles." It is believed to be the first Neitron radar satellite, built by NPO Mashinostroeniya.