ION Technical Content
GLONASS: Still Out There
| Abstract: | Russia managed to launch three more GLONASS satellites in October 2000. Yet, the plight of the GLONASS space segment continues to deteriorate. Since ION GPS-2000, four satellites have been withdrawn from service and three more appear to have failed. As of September 2001, only six satellites of the 24-satellite constellation are healthy. The deficiencies are not limited to the old satellites, as two of the newest satellites (October 2000) appeared to have problems related to the eclipse season, and the third has been down more than expected. Problems with the young satellites could indicate pre-launch checkouts have been relaxed, or a new generation of less experienced personnel prepared the new vehicles. It is not clear if bureaucratic inertia, military necessity, or national pride drives the program, but the ground segment maintains the system daily, and a limited software upgrade was noted. These activities argue that GLONASS will be around at least a few more years. In spite of all its shortcomings, GLONASS is still out there. |
| Published in: |
Proceedings of the 14th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 2001) September 11 - 14, 2001 Salt Palace Convention Center Salt Lake City, UT |
| Pages: | 68 - 74 |
| Cite this article: | Cook, Gerald L., "GLONASS: Still Out There," Proceedings of the 14th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 2001), Salt Lake City, UT, September 2001, pp. 68-74. |
| Full Paper: |
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