Russia launches satellite for global navigation system
Russia has launched a satellite needed to create its own global navigation system, intended to rival America's Global Positioning System (GPS). The Glonass-K satellite was carried into orbit on a Soyuz rocket from a cosmodrome in northern Russia. Read more
Sunday was a working day at Plesetsk, Nothern Russia. At 7 a.m., Soyuz-1.2b with Fregat upper stage and Glonass-K spacecraft was rolled out from the assemble building, and at 10 a.m. it was erected on the launch pad. Space Forces began L-3 operations. The launch is slated for Feb. 24. Glonass-K is the first new-generation spacecraft developed by Reshetnev ISS, with increased lifetime of 10 years, which is to be included into Russian navigation system GLONASS.