Russia Eyes Role In Euro GPS System

Russia Eyes Role In Euro GPS Net

will Europe give Glonass a new lease of life

Moscow (Interfax) Oct. 30, 2000
Director General of the Russian Aerospace Agency Rosaviakosmos Yuri Koptev intends to discuss Russia's participation in setting up the European global navigation system Galileo while visiting France, Koptev's press secretary Sergei Gorbunov has told Interfax.

The discussion might involve Russia's participation in the rocket launches to orbit European satellites for the new navigation system and direct employment of the existing Russian global navigation satellite system GLONASS in Europe, Gorbunov said.

The European space agency intends to address problems of setting up a unified navigation system in mid-November, and the EU is expected to make a final decision on its creation next year, the Rosaviakosmos representative said..

The improvement of the Russian system GLONASS is a priority for Russia's activity in space for the near future, he said.

Three satellites of the GLONASS system, which were constructed at the Krasnoyarsk scientific production facilities and launched in October, have significantly enhanced the Russian space navigation system.

GPS ALERT

Lockheed Martin Wins $53 million GPS Modernization Contract

Sunnyvale - Sept. 11, 2000
The U.S. Air Force recently awarded Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Sunnyvale, CA, a $53 million contract to begin development of modernization changes for up to 12 Global Positioning System (GPS) Block IIR satellites.

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