Russia’s Global Navigation Satellite System for civilian use

November 13, 2009

Russia’s Global Navigation Satellite System GLONASS is to be used for civilian purpose in India. In a bid to give India a hand in combating terrorism, Russia has not only given the thumbs up for civilian use of their GLONASS, but has also backed India’s Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. GLONASS is a radio-based satellite navigation system developed by the former Soviet Union. It is now being operated for the Russian Space Forces by the government.

Presently, GLONASS supposedly consists of 16 operational satellites and 3 under maintenance. Seen as an alternative to the Global Positioning System and Galileo that is under development by the European Union, this Russian Global Navigation Satellite System’s development began way back in 1976 and was developed for the determination of velocity and real time position. Reports suggest that Russia is also willing to provide India an exploration block in Yamal, known for it’s abundant gas reserves.

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.