On 17 September 2024, at 10:01 MSK (07:01 UTC), crews of the Air and Space Forces conducted a successful launch of an Angara 1.2 launcher from the Plesetsk test site. (Video of the launch in the MoD Telegram channel.)

The rocket delivered into orbit two satellites designated Cosmos-2577 and Cosmos-2578. They received international designations 2024-166A and 2024-166B and registered by NORAD as objects 61179 and 61180.

The satellites were deployed on 328 x 344 km sun-synchronous orbits with the inclination of 96.8 degrees. It is estimated that these are small reconnaissance satellites of the OO MKA type, which is the "test" version of "experimental" EO MKA satellites launched earlier - Cosmos-2551, Cosmos-2555, Cosmos-2560, and Cosmos-2568. See also a note on small satellites.