Russia to launch new global navigation satellite in late December
A Russian Glonass-K satellite has been delivered to the Plesetsk Space Center in Arkhangelsk Oblast, where it will be launched later this month.
The satellite will be sent into orbit atop a modernized Soyuz rocket, RIA Novosti reports.
Russia lost three Glonass-M satellites on December 5th when a Proton rocket launched from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan deviated from its course and the satellites were dropped in the Pacific Ocean.
The three satellites were to complete the formation of Russia’s global navigation system and the program has now been delayed with three to six months.
Glonass is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS, and is designed for both military and civilian uses. Both systems allow users to determine their positions to within a few meters. The Glonass system is expected to play an important role in Arctic shipping.
Russia currently has a total of 26 Glonass satellites in orbit, although only 20 of them are functional.
Russia has high hopes that the technology will lead a domestic revolution in consumer devices such as smartphones and vehicle satellite navigation devices.
