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Plans Set Out to Boost Russian Satellite Navigation System

Posted on: Friday, 4 June 2004, 06:00 CDT

Russia's Glonass satellite navigation system will have 18 satellites in orbit by 2006, and 24 by 2010, the Russian news agency Interfax-AVN web site reported on 4 June.

Under a contract with Russia's Federal Space Agency, seven satellites are to be built, to supplement the system over the next 18 months, an industry official told the agency.

"As of today, we have signed a contract with the Federal Space Agency to produce seven serial satellites. As soon as the contract is implemented, which should happen before 2006, the orbital group will number 18 satellites. This is the minimum strength required for the Russian Glonass navigation system to be operational," Viktor Khosenko, department head at the Applied Mechanics Research and Production Association, said.

He added: "The organic system that will be able to satisfy the requirements in accuracy and authenticity numbers 24 satellites. We are to build them before 2010."

The expense will be considerable, he went on to comment, with Glonass's expansion to 18 satellites to cost R3.5bn (some 120m dollars), and twice that for 24 satellites in orbit.

In his comments on the development of Galileo, Europe's equivalent satellite navigation system, Russia, he said, needed to hurry if it wanted to make full commercial use of its system. The task, he said, is to "preserve Glonass as the second satellite navigation system in the world", after the USA's GPS. "Unless we manage to deploy Glonass as soon as possible, i.e. before Galileo enters service, there will be much less demand for our system. Only the military will use it in this case," Khosenko said.

[There are approximately 100 Russian satellites currently in orbit, with "almost 60 of them" operated by the military, a statement for parliament by the Russian Space Forces, quoted by Interfax-AVN military news agency web site, Moscow, in English 0610 gmt 4 Jun 04, said.

"The condition of Russia's satellites and prospects for their development were discussed at a session of the State Duma's defence committee in the city of Krasnoznamensk. The main aim of the session was to study the overall condition of the Space Forces, prospects for their development, and possibilities for improving the forces' financial and legislative base," said the report.]

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