GLONASS Secure; Funding Fall-through a Formality Only
January 24, 2012A story that appeared last week on a Russian news website, "Russia's GPS rival to survive on private investments" apparently consists of journalistic exaggeration. The story claimed that Russian government funding for GLONASS would be cut off, but official sources say that's not true, that it is merely a question of securing final approval for submitted budgets.
The story on the website of "autonomous non-profit organization TV-Novosti, Channel RT TV,” which proclaims as its motto "Question More" claims that ""Developers of Russia's GPS rival program, the GLONASS navigation system, have been left without state funding. This comes after the program’s directors failed to submit the documents needed to allocate government money on time. At first, the funding program was to be implemented by December 31, 2011, with the government approving a $10 billion draft back in autumn. But when the Ministry of Economic Development asked the GLONASS team to present a detailed report of the expenses they were planning to cover, the specialists were unable to pull through. Now they will have to seek private sources to fund the project."
"The statements in the article are incorrect a little bit," replied Sergey Revnivykh, deputy director general of the Central Research Institute of Machine Building iof Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency, when contacted by GPS World. "GLONASS is in a good shape, and all plans for sustainment and development will be implemented."
"Yes, we do not have the approved program yet, but we have the State Budget Law for 2012-2014 approved by the President in November, allocating budget for GLONASS for 2012-2014 fully in compliance with the draft of GLONASS program for 2012-2020," Revnivykh continued. "That means the money already allocated for GLONASS sustainment and development for next three years. And we formally can start to use this budget."
"GLONASS Program for 2012-2020 is in the final step to be submitted to the Government for approval. And the approval shall be done by the end of February latest. The total sum for GLONASS for next nine years will not change, this is already agreed. All coordinations with Ministry of Economy on the details already settled.
"So, that means that the user community using GLONASS is secure. Now all GLONASS cooperation continue activity according to the plans, and there is nothing to worry about."
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