Russia to add 2 Glonass-K satellites to space constellation: Roscosmos

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
14 Jan 14:27

Per Glavkosmos, there are also plans to launch a lightweight Angara-1.2 rocket and a heavy-lift Angara-A5 rocket from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in 2023.

Russia launching a GLONASS-K navigation satellite on a Soyuz rocket (NASA Space Flight)

Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, reported that Russia intends to add two Glonass-K satellites and one Glonass-K2 to the constellation soon but the exact launch and installation dates are yet to be announced.

Per Glavkosmos, there are also plans to launch a lightweight Angara-1.2 rocket and a heavy-lift Angara-A5 rocket from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in 2023, located in Arkhangelsk Oblast, north of Moscow.

As of now, 25 satellites are present in the Glonass constellation, with 24 of them functioning and one is still in the commissioning phase. In October, a Glonass-K satellite was successfully launched into space in a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from the Plesetsk cosmodrome.

No GPS? No problem

Back in March, Dmitry Rogozin, the former head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, stated that the United States is considering disconnecting Russia from the GPS global navigation systems as part of the sanctions campaign the West has been carrying out against Russia as a result of the war in Ukraine.

Although it was not implemented, it would have no influence in Russia because the country has its own GPS analog - the Glonass system itself, according to Rogozin, who added that any smartphone in use in Russia is already connected to Glonass.