(Reuters) - Russia's nuclear forces will start taking delivery of the new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile this year once testing is complete, Tass quoted the head of the Roscosmos space agency as saying on Wednesday.

       Dmitry Rogozin said deliveries would start "in the autumn of this year," it reported. Earlier in the day Russia said it had conducted a first test launch of the missile.

       (Reporting by David Ljunggren)