Reported the loss of one of the satellites of the GLONASS system

Today, one of the satellites of the GLONASS group has been lost, Interfax reports . "The satellite 737 failed, the 723 spacecraft was replaced from the reserve," the news agency quoted its source in the rocket and space industry.

The official website of the Information and Analytical Center, with reference to the GLONASS System Control Center, indirectly confirms this information : “GLONASS-M No. 723 spacecraft was removed from the orbital reserve and from 00:00 (Moscow time) on December 15, 2016 it is at the stage of commissioning groupings. "

The GLONASS satellite navigation system has been developed since 1975. This is the second satellite system brought to a working state after GPS. For the first time the constellation of satellites (24 units) was brought to the standard size in 1995, but by 2001 there were only six of them left. From the middle of zero, the Russian government is actively engaged in restoring the system and maintaining it in working order. The first users of GLONASS were the armed forces of the Russian Federation. Only in the last three years, seven GLONASS satellites have been launched into orbit.
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As of December 7, 2016, 23 satellites were regularly used, one was put up for scheduled maintenance. The satellite reserve consists of two spacecraft, one of which has now operated the GLONASS system control center. At the stage of flight tests is another satellite.

In total, within the framework of the development and maintenance of the GLONASS system, the USSR and the Russian Federation carried out 131 spacecraft launches. At the same time to ensure the operation of the American GPS system since February 1978, it took only 72 starts.