By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Plesetsk (Russia) : Russia Monday launched a navigation satellite from its Plesetsk Space Centre, Space Forces spokesman Col. Alexei Zolotukhin said.
The Soyuz-2.1B carrier rocket with the Glonass-M navigation satellite was launched at 12.15 a.m. Monday.
Glonass is Russia’s answer to the US Global Positioning System, or GPS, and is designed for both military and civilian uses. Both systems allow users to determine their positions to within a few meters.
The Russian aerospace industry has faced a series of misfortunes over the last nine months, including the loss of three Glonass satellites, a prized Express-AM4 satellite and the fall of the Progress M-12M cargo in south Siberia’s Altai Republic.
The loss of Glonass satellites alone cost the state 4.3 billion rubles ($152.2 million).