Russia's GLONASS Fully Restored After System Failure

Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) has resumed normal operations after suffering an outage earlier this month caused by a malfunctioning satellite, the leading research institute of the Russian Space Agency said Tuesday.

"The GLONASS orbital group is now fully operational," the Central Research Institute of Machine Building (TsNIIMash) said in a statement.

A total of 23 operational spacecraft out of 29 satellites in the GLONASS network provide navigation services around the world. Four spacecraft are in orbital reserve, and one is undergoing flight testing.

"According to monitoring data, the technical maintenance of KA GLONASS-M 730 has been successfully completed," the statement said. "The GLONASS orbital group has been fully deployed."

The Global Navigation Satellite System, which began operating in 1993, is a Russian equivalent of the US Global Positioning System (GPS). The GLONASS network provides real-time positioning and speed data for surface, sea and airborne objects with an accuracy of one meter (three feet).

Source: RIA Novosti