A new GLONASS-M satellite will be launched to substitute an old inactive device, Russian satellite manufacturer Information Satellite Systems Reshetnev said on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th August, 2019) A new GLONASS-M satellite will be launched to substitute an old inactive device, Russian satellite manufacturer Information Satellite Systems Reshetnev said on Friday.
GLONASS-M navigation satellite No. 717, which had its maintenance guarantee expire in 2013, was removed from service for unscheduled repairs on August 1. Work on the satellite should finish on Sunday.
"The GLONASS constellation will be updated by a new GLONASS-M satellite. It will substitute the device, which served twice as much as the expected time frame, about 13 years instead of seven," the company said in its magazine.
According to Sputnik sources, the new satellite will be launched onboard the Soyuz-2.1b rocket equipped with the Fregat launch vehicle from the Plesetsk spaceport in mid-November.
At the moment, the GLONASS constellation consists of a total of 27 satellites, including 22 operational devices in orbit. To ensure the global coverage of the navigation system, 24 operational satellites are needed. Two additional satellites are currently undergoing maintenance.
