Russian Space Agency Roscosmos plans to launch five Glonass-M satellites and one Glonass-K satellite in 2011, Roscosmos’ deputy chief Anatoly Shilov said Wednesday.
According to Space Dialy, the first launch of the Glonass-M satellite is scheduled for August and the second is slated for October, Shilov said at a navigation forum here.
The Glonass-K new generation navigation satellite is expected to be launched in December, he added.
Last December a Proton-M carrier rocket, which lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, failed to deliver three Glonass-M navigation satellites to the orbit. The satellites fell into the Pacific Ocean. Investigators later blamed ground crew who had pumped too much fuel into a booster rocket.
Glonass is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), which is designed for both military and civilian use. The system requires 24 operational and 2-3 reserve satellites in orbit to ensure global coverage.
