Apple Uses GLONASS GPS System in iPhone 4S

Apple has picked Russia's Glonass navigation system to run alongside GPS in its iPhone 4S models that hit stores this month, according to GPS Daily.

The news was not exactly hidden by the California-based firm. A scan through the iPhone "specs" page on the Apple website shows Glonass sitting conspicuously next to GPS in the global positioning column.

The Glonass system has struggled through many delays and cost overruns that was additionally hurt last year by the loss of three satellites in a botched launch.

Glonass is less precise than its rival but relies on a different set of satellites that could work in some cities where the US system is less effective.

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Is GLONASS More Accurate Than American GPS?

Russia's navigation system GLONASS is more accurate than American GPS, Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) Deputy Director Anatoly Shilov has claimed.

"Today the accuracy of GLONASS is 6 metres, and that of GPS is 7 metres," Shilov said at the 5th international forum on satellite navigation yesterday, June 1.He said the accuracy of the Russian navigation system would have to be improved to 2-3 metres in the years to come.In his opinion, this can be done only if the system operates at full capacity with 24 satellites.

Russia plans to launch another GLONASS-M satellite in August and another three in September-October from Baikonur in Kazakhstan.GLONASS system will become fully operational by the end of 2011.The previous satellite, launched in late February 26, is designed to operate longer - ten years - and provide more accurate coordinates of down to 1.5 metres.

The next launch from Baikonur is scheduled for this summer. "At any rate, the system will become fully operational by the end of 2011, with 24 satellites covering the whole planet," First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said earlier.

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Glonass-K Satellite Launch Postponed

The launch of Russia's new-generation Glonass-K satellite has been postponed until 2011, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

The satellite atop a Soyuz-2.1.b carrier rocket was to blast off from the Plesetsk Space Center on December 28.

"Preparations have not been completed for the ground complex to navigate the Glonass-K spacecraft," the ministry's statement said.

The Glonass-K, which has a service life of 10 years, will beam five navigation signals - four in the special L1 and L2 bands and one for civilian applications in the L3 band.

A Proton-M carrier rocket with three Glonass-M satellites veered off course and sunk in the Pacific Ocean on December 5.

The failure was attributed to a series of manufacturing mistakes.

The satellites were supposed to finalize the creation of Russia's Glonass Global Navigation Satellite System.

Glonass is Russia's answer to the U.S. 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.

Russia currently has a total of 26 Glonass satellites in orbit, although only 20 of them are functional.

MOSCOW, December 21 (RIA Novosti)

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Russian Satellites Crash into Pacific

Three Russian satellites, being sent into orbit to complete Russia's GLONASS navigation system, fell off course on Sunday and crashed into the Pacific Ocean not far from the Hawaii Islands, Ria News Agency reported.

A spokesman for Russia's space agency Roscosmos told Reuters the satellites had strayed from their course and caused an "un-planned situation." He did not confirm that they had crashed.

The satellites were being carried by the "Proton-M" rocket carrier, which blasted off early on Sunday from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.

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Russia: 3 Glonass Satellites in September

A Proton-M carrier rocket bearing three Glonass-M navigation satellites will be launched from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan on September 2, Russia's space agency said on Friday.

"Preparation work on one of the three Glonass-M satellites is presently being completed at the Baikonur space center," Roskosmos said in a statement.

The two other satellites will be ready for launch by the end of August.

Glonass - the Global Navigation Satellite System - is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS, and is designed for both military and civilian use. Both systems allow users to determine their positions to within a few meters.

Russia currently has a total of 22 Glonass satellites in orbit, but only 16 of them are operational. The system requires 18 operational satellites for continuous navigation services covering the entire territory of Russia and at least 24 satellites to provide navigation services worldwide. [via]

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Russian satellites,Glonass, rescheduled for Oct. 29

The launch of three Glonass navigation satellites postponed last month due to technical glitch is rescheduled for October 29, Russia's Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) said Monday.

"This launch is in our plans. The expected date is October 29," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted an unnamed official as saying.

The launch, originally scheduled for September 25 from the Baikonurspace center in Kazakhstan, was postponed because of a malfunction in one of the Glonass-M satellites currently in orbit.

All six Glonass satellites required to complete the Glonass satellite grouping will be launched by the end of this year, head of the Roscosmos Anatoly Perminov said earlier.

Glonass, a Global Navigation Satellite System, is the Russian version of the US Global Positioning System (GPS) and is designed for both military and civilian use. Both systems allow users to determine their positions to within a few meters.

The Glonass project requires 24 satellites to provide navigation services worldwide, but currently has only 18 satellites in orbit that cover the entire Russian territory.

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Russia: Glonass satellites increases to 17

GPS Daily reports that the number of operational satellites in Russia's Glonass grouping has been increased to 17 while three more remain inactive, Russia's Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said.

Glonass - the Global Navigation Satellite System - is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS, and is designed for both military and civilian use. Both systems allow users to determine their positions to within a few meters.

"According to Glonass information center, one of the four satellites under maintenance was added to the grouping on May 30," Roscosmos said in a statement on its website. As of June 1, the Glonass system comprises 20 satellites. A total of 17 satellites are operational while three remain under maintenance. The system requires 18 satellites for continuous navigation services covering the entire territory of the Russian Federation, and 24 satellites to provide services worldwide.

A total of 9.9 billion rubles ($360 million at the current exchange rate) was allocated for Glonass from the federal budget in 2007, and 4.7 billion rubles ($170 million) in 2006.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signed a directive on September 12, 2008, allocating an additional $2.6 billion to develop the system. Two Proton-M launch vehicles are expected to lift off this year to put six more Glonass-M satellites into orbit.

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GLONASS coverage of Russia, constant

From a press release: The GLONASS satellite navigation signal is again constant throughout Russia, a source at the Central Machine Building Research Institute said. "As of January 30, the GLONASS network has had 20 satellites, including 18 operative, one connecting to the system and one under maintenance," the source said.

Eighteen operative satellites are necessary for GLONASS coverage of whole Russia, and 24 for coverage of the whole world. Earlier, the State Duma passed a GLONASS law. "This is the first Russian law on satellite navigation, which defines main notions, rights and duties of network users," State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov said. The law suggests equipment of armaments, military hardware and transport with Russian-made satellite navigation gadgets "in order to raise the defense potential and security of Russia and to upgrade transportation management and security of passenger and cargo traffic."

The government will supervise the use of the GLONASS cluster, and a federal GLONASS operator will be formed. Individuals are permitted to use GLONASS services throughout the national territory with the exception of restricted areas. "GLONASS services will be given to individuals for free and without limits," the law says.

It is planned to spend 9.4 billion rubles on the supply of satellite navigation gadgets to the Defense Ministry in 2011-2015 under the state armament programme. Other governmental agencies may need 46,000 GLONASS navigation sets and 600 reference stations. The expenditures may near 3.5 billion rubles.

GLONASS is a radio-based satellite navigation system, developed by the former Soviet Union and now operated by the Russian Space Forces. It is an alternative and complementary to the United States' Global Positioning System (GPS) and the planned Galileo positioning system of the European Union (EU).

Development on GLONASS began in 1976, with a goal of global coverage by 1991. A fully operational GLONASS constellation consists of 24 satellites, with 21 used for transmitting signals and three for on-orbit spares, deployed in three orbital planes.

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Spectra Precision EPOCH 35 RTK GNSS System

Spectra Precision introduced the EPOCH 35 GNSS system. The Spectra Precision EPOCH 35 system uses accurate GPS and GLONASS technology for cadastral, topographic, control, stakeout and other precision survey applications.

The EPOCH 35 is a complete GNSS system that includes a base, rover, field software, data collector, and radio. The system rover features integrated Bluetooth capability, an internal radio modem and battery. In North America, the system operates with the popular TDS Survey Pro field software. Outside the U.S., the system runs Spectra Precision Field Surveyor. These field software solutions operate on the Spectra Precision Recon or Nomad data collectors.

For RTK surveying, the base system may include a choice of radio modems that provide either a long- or short-range data link from the base to the rover. In addition, Network RTK is also supported by simply connecting to an external data capable cellular modem. Back at the office, surveyors can use the Spectra Precision Office Software for post-processing and quality control.

The system operates without line-of-sight between points, and can be used in any weather. Designed as a multi-purpose, integrated system, the EPOCH 35 GNSS system provides surveyors with total flexibility. Built especially for tough surveying conditions, the compact and lightweight EPOCH 35 GNSS system can handle drops, extreme temperatures, dirt, and water.

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GLONASS-M satellites launched by Russia

Russia successfully launched three satellites to enhance its space navigation system, officials said.

The Russian Federal Space Agency said the three GLONASS-M satellites were put into orbit Thursday by a Proton-M rocket that blasted off from the Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan.

They are to join Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System, or GLONASS — the equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS.

The system, which serves both military and civilian purposes, was developed during the Soviet era and is supposed to have 24 satellites. Thursday's launch brought the number to 17.

The government had promised to make GLONASS fully operational by the beginning of this year, but it was delayed by equipment flaws and other technical problems.

Portable navigation devices are still a rarity in the Russian military, according to officials.

The short lifetime of GLONASS satellites also have made it more difficult for the government to bring the system into full working mode.

GLONASS-M satellites developed recently have a lifetime of seven years, compared to three years for their predecessors.

[via]

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GLONASS service to be provided free

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the GLONASS navigation system to provide the service free for customers, the official sources said.

"Access to civilian navigation signals of global navigation satellite system GLONASS is provided to Russian and foreign consumers free of charge and without limitations," Putin's report said. In line with the report, satellite navigation equipment bought for federal bodies of executive power and organizations subordinate to them should operate using GLONASS signals. Putin charged the Federal Space Agency with coordinating work to maintain, develop and use the system for civilian and commercial needs.

The head of the space agency said, in April Russia will bring the number of satellites comprising its Glonass navigation system to 18 by the end of 2007. Anatoly Perminov said then a full orbital group of 24 satellites will be ready for global coverage by the end of 2009, but with 18 satellites in orbit it will start providing services for military and civilian users, covering Russian territory. A total of $380 million has been appropriated for GLONASS from the federal budget in 2007, and $181 million in 2006.

Source: http://www.gpsdaily.com/reports

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Glonass cheaper, better than GPS?

Moscow, Russia, 12 March 2007 - The global navigation system Glonass should be cheaper and of better quality than the GPS system, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on 12 March.

"You know what attention I pay to Glonass, and I hope relevant attention will be paid to it," Putin told Cabinet members. Glonass is a Russian version of the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), which is designed for both military and civilian use, and allows users to identify their positions in real time. The system can also be used in geological prospecting.

In December 2005, President Vladimir Putin ordered the system to be ready by 2008, and First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said Glonass would be available to domestic users for military as well civilian purposes by the end of 2007.

The head of Russia's Federal Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov, said earlier that Russia is also in talks with the United States and the European Space Agency to prepare agreements on the use of Glonass jointly with the GPS and Galileo satellite navigation systems. The agency plans to have 18 satellites in orbit by late 2007 or early 2008, and a full orbital group of 24 satellites by the end of 2009, he said.

Ivanov said late last year that Russia will lift all precision restrictions on Glonass beginning in 2007, which will enable accurate and unlimited commercial use of the military-controlled global positioning system. Current restrictions limit the accuracy for civilian users of Glonass to 30 meters. The first launch under the Glonass program took place October 12, 1982, but the system was only formally launched September 24, 1993.

Andrei Kozlov, the head of the Reshetnev Research and Production Center in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia's leading spacecraft manufacturer, said earlier the Glonass system currently has 13 satellites in orbit.

The satellites currently in use are of two modifications - Glonass and its updated version Glonass-M. Glonass-M has a longer service life of seven years and is equipped with updated antenna feeder systems and an additional navigation frequency for civilian users.

A future modification, Glonass-K, is an entirely new model based on a non-pressurized platform, standardized to the specifications of the previous models' platform, Express-1000. Glonass-Ks' estimated service life has been increased to 10-12 years, and a third "civilian" L-range frequency has been added. Tests on Glonass-K satellites are scheduled for 2007.

Source : http://en.rian.ru

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Russia launches three Glonass satellites

Moscow, Russia, 26 December 2006 - Russia has expanded its global navigation satellite system (Glonass) with three satellites, a spokesman for the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) said on December 26.

A Proton-K rocket carrying three modernized Glonass-M satellites lifted off at 23:18 Moscow time (8:18 p.m. GMT) on December 25 from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan. The satellites were put into orbit early on December 26. Glonass is designed for both military and civilian purposes, and allows users to identify their positions in real time. It can also be used in geological prospecting.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin ordered in December 2005 that the system be ready by 2008 and in March this year Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said Glonass will be available to domestic consumers for military as well for civilian purposes by the end of 2007.

Roscosmos head Anatoly Perminov said earlier Russia is in talks with the United States and the European Space Agency to prepare agreements on the use of Glonass jointly with GPS and Galileo satellite navigation systems. The agency plans to have 18 satellites in orbit by late 2007 or early 2008, and a full orbital group of 24 satellites by the end of 2009, he said.

In November Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Russia will lift all precision restrictions, from the start of 2007, in the use of Glonass to enable accurate and unlimited commercial use of the military-controlled global positioning system. Current restrictions limit the accuracy for civilian users of Glonass to 30 meters.

The first launch under the Glonass program took place October 12, 1982, but the system was only formally launched September 24, 1993. Andrei Kozlov, the head of the Reshetnev Research and Production Center in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia's leading spacecraft manufacturer, said earlier the Glonass system currently had 13 satellites in orbit.

The satellites currently in use are of two modifications - Glonass and its updated version Glonass-M. Glonass-M has a longer service life of seven years and is equipped with updated antenna feeder systems and an additional navigation frequency for civilian users.

A future modification, Glonass-K, is an entirely new model based on a non-pressurized platform, standardized to the specifications of the previous models' platform, Express-1000. Glonass-Ks' estimated service life has been increased to 10-12 years and a third "civilian" L-range frequency was added. Tests on Glonass-K satellites are scheduled for 2007.

Source : http://en.rian.ru

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GLONASS news

Moscow, Russia, 11 November 2006 - Russia's global satellite navigation system will become available to civilians in the country next year, the Russian Defense Minister announced recently. Mr. Sergei Ivanov said Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System, known as GLONASS, will be offered to commercial customers worldwide in 2009. GLONASS is the equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS.

"Beginning January 1, the military General Staff will lift existing restrictions that had prevented civilians from using GLONASS, allowing it "to work for the development of the economy and transport," Ivanov said in televised remarks. Russia now has 14 GLONASS satellites. He said 18 satellites were necessary to provide navigation services over the entire Russian territory. "By the end of 2009, the system will be available worldwide for which we would need to have 24 satellites," he said, according to the ITAR-Tass news agency.

Developed during the 1970s, the system originally had 24 satellites, but their number had dwindled after the 1991 Soviet collapse. Thanks to Russia's booming oil revenues, the government has earmarked funds to revive the system to its full strength.

Source : http://www.nasdaq.com

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GLONASS satellite system

Moscow, Russia, 4 October 2006: Russia will launch a youth satellite for India besides sharing its space-based global satellite navigational system. The mini Indian research satellite 'YouthSat' would be launched with the help of a Russian launcher," Russian space agency Roskosmos spokesman Igor Panarin said.

ISRO Chairman Madhavan Nair and Roskosmos Chief Anatoly Perminov met in Spain today on the sidelines of the International Space Congress during which they discussed the production and joint use of GLONASS-M and GLONASS-K navigation satellites. "India will have access to the data from our satellites, which would be jointly used," Panarin was quoted as saying by Ria Novosti.

Two types of satellites are currently in use - GLONASS and its updated version GLONASS-M. GLONASS, a Russian analogue of the United States GPS, is designed to allow both military and civilian users around the globe to receive signals from satellites to identify their positions in real time. It can also be used in geological prospecting. GLONASS-M has a longer service life of seven years and is equipped with updated antenna feeder systems, and an additional navigation frequency for civilian users.

A future modification, GLONASS-K, is an entirely new model. Tests on GLONASS-K satellites are scheduled for 2007. They are small spacecraft that are considerably lighter than their previous models, which makes them less costly to put into orbit. Their weight also allows the use of a wider range of carrier rockets. GLONASS-Ks' estimated service life has been increased to 10-12 years, and a third "civilian" L-range frequency was added. The Defense Ministry said August 30 GLONASS will be fully deployed by 2010, when the number of satellites will be brought from the current 17 to 24.

Nair and Perminov also discussed the supply of cryogenic boosters for Indian GSLV rockets and explored the possibility of Russia's participation in India's Chandrayan Moon mission. "A Russian inter-departmental delegation will arrive in India to coordinate the details on October 27," Igor Panarin said.

Russia is expected to supply seven cryogenic upper stages to India, which originally wanted to buy the Russian technology to build the engines domestically, but U.S. pressure prevented their delivery. India has been working to develop a cryogenic engine for the past 11 years. Working to cut its dependence on foreign launch vehicles, India has had four operational GSLV flights since 2004 using Russian engines for the upper stage.

Source : http://en.rian.ru

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