Avi Blizovsky
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Russia launched three navigation satellites into space on a Proton K rocket from Baikonur in Kazakhstan.
The satellites are part of the GLONASS navigation satellite system of the Russian military. The system originally developed in the seventies was supposed to include 24 satellites but in the meantime their number has decreased.
The three satellites were launched on Wednesday and they will increase the current number to 12, and according to the Russian news agency Iter-Tass, 15-18 satellites will be required for the system to function properly.
Russian Space Force spokesman Sergei Darvyashkin said the satellites should reach their destination orbit four hours after launch.
GLONASS - Russian acronym for Global Satellite Navigation System was developed by the Russian military as a competition to the American GPS, and to help aircraft ships and ground forces find their place anywhere on Earth within a range of 15 meters.
Like the GPS, the Russian network can also be used by citizens who have the appropriate equipment, but the appropriate devices are not yet widely used in Russia.
Most of the Russian satellites designed during the Soviet era have a lifespan of a few years, and the space industry struggling for its existence lacks the means to develop longer-lived and more efficient launch vehicles.
The director of the Russian space agency, Yuri Koptev, said that Russia was on the verge of losing the GLONASS system, which the military needs to collect data for launching ballistic missiles and provide an essential navigation system.
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