»New Glonass Satellites Due To Operate For Seven Years
~ the three Glonass-M navigation satellites launched will be operational for seven years
~ a fully operational Glonass constellation will consist of 24 Glonass-M and Glonass-K satellites by 2010,
~ with 21 used for transmitting signals and three for on-orbit spares, deployed in three orbital planes

»Further efforts to develop GLONASS will continue
~ the plan is to launch three GLONASS-M spacecraft with a guaranteed 7-year orbital life, and six more in 2007
~ starting in 2008, a new generation of GLONASS-K spacecraft with an orbital life of 10 to 12 years will be made available
~ these plans, if realized, will bring the orbital GLONASS constellation to its full strength of 24 spacecraft
~ with four of them having an orbital life of 10 to 12 years

»Glonass To Be Deployed In Full By 2010

»Civilian clients will be able to use GLONASS by late 2007
~ Soviet Union implemented Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) program by early 1990s
~ GLONASS, which fully meets requirements of national military and space programs,
~ provides navigational support for ships and aircraft en route and during docking and landing
~ It ensures high-precision air strikes, air support operations, all-weather assault landings, mid-air and high-seas linkups, and accurate target acquisition
~ In late 2005, President Vladimir Putin instructed Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov to have system running again by 2007
~ Defense Ministry plans to launch 18 satellites, minimum number of spacecraft necessary to ensure system's full-fledged operation
~ An object on ground has to receive signals from at least four navigation satellites in order to calculate its coordinates
~ Each millisecond satellites relay their status, current date, time and exact time of sending all data to earth
~ A GPS or GLONASS transceiver, which processes these signals, calculates distance to each satellite and its position relative to other satellites
~ It then processes this data in accordance with geometric laws to determine its ground coordinates
~ signals of three satellites make it possible to calculate latitude and longitude,
~ whereas signals from four satellites are needed to determine altitudes above sea level
~ International experience, specifically the use of NAVSTAR GPS, shows that at least 24 spacecraft are needed to ensure 100% navigational accuracy
~ Viktor Kramarenko believes that, Russia should deploy 27 to 30 spacecraft by 2010
~ many local enterprises, as well as governments of entire Russian regions, have signed contracts for use of America's NAVSTAR GPS
~ In March 2006, Sergei Ivanov said all accuracy restrictions would be lifted by end of year
~ Consequently, it will become possible to pinpoint all objects to within 30 meters of their actual location
~ Civilian clients will be able to use GLONASS by late 2007, and foreign customers will be able to do same starting in 2009
~ But GLONASS requires dependable ground transceivers for greater efficiency
~ Russian companies have now developed super-light GLONASS/GPS transceivers, including 16-channel versions

»GLONASS/GPS COMBINED NAVIGATIONAL RECEIVER
»Research
»Navgeocom
»Unmanned Vehicle Association Russia
»AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGIES AND EQUIPMENT. KAZAN>