Three More GLONASS Satellites Launched

December 15, 2009

The Russian space agency Roscosmos launched a venerable Proton rocket carrying three GLONASS-M satellites into orbit on December 14. Each 3,000-pound satellite is designed to last seven years. They join a constellation now numbering 19 satellites, although one of those is about to be decommissioned and two more are out of service for maintenance.

Russian politicians and satnav system managers had hoped to launch six satellites this year, to attaina global service level, which requires 24 satellites, eight each in three orbital planes. However, a payload glitch found aboard one recent satellite, after its launch into space, forced a return to the factory of three satellites scheduled for launch this past September. The three launched this week will now only bolster continuing GLONASS coverage of Russian sovereign territory, which requires 18 operating spacecraft.

The next GLONASS launch is now scheduled for a February 11–20, 2010, window.

The Block 41 GLONASS-M satellites (Nos. 30, 33, and 34) have been placed in Plane 1, which currently has only four healthy satellites. According to Roscosmos, communications has been established with all of the satellites, and performance is nominal.

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