Using the Soyuz 2 launch vehicle.1b “brought into orbit a satellite” GLONASS-M “. Thus, the orbital grouping of the domestic satellite navigation system acquired its 30th device. The launch of the rocket with the satellite was made from the Plesetsk cosmodrome, which is at the disposal of the Aerospace Defense Army.
Colonel Alexei Zolotukhin, official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for East Kazakhstan region, said that the Union 2 missile.1b »Rivne at 09:26 was taken to accompany the ground means of the main testing center named after Titov. The officer also noted that the adoption of Glonass-M for management is scheduled for 12:55 Moscow time.
According to the Federal Space Agency, before this day, only 29 devices were included in the grouping of GLONASS system satellites, which were located in three orbital planes. Of these, only 23 satellites are used for purpose, 2 are on maintenance, and 3 in the orbital reserve, 1 device passes summer tests.
To understand the scale of what is happening: to date, the grouping of the American GPS consists of 31 apparatus, of which 30 are used for its intended purpose and only 1 is on maintenance.
To ensure that the entire surface of the planet is covered around the clock by satellite navigation signals, it is necessary that 24 satellites constantly work in three orbital planes. There is a feature – for the implementation of their normal activity, several reserve devices are necessary, which must activate in case of failure of one of the main satellites.
For reference: the beginning of the design of the domestic satellite navigation system falls on 1976. Despite such an early start, only by 2008 the orbital group had already counted 18 satellites who allowed GLONASS to really use. To date, in orbit in orbit, the promising apparatus “GLONASS-K” takes place summer tests. Thanks to the transition to satellites of this type of system, the level of GPS should reach the level.