Russian Plans To Put Four Spherical Satellites Into Orbit In Four Years

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th June, 2021) Russia plans to launch four spherical satellites into orbit in 2025, for calibrating ground optical stations and serving other purposes for the Glonass navigation system, state procurement data shows.

According to files from Russian space agency Roscosmos, released on the state procurement website, Russia plans to launch the four satellites from the Vostochny spaceport using the Russian Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket.

Three Gonets-M communications satellites will be launched together with the four spherical satellites.

In January, a space industry source told Sputnik that Russia plans to put five Glonass navigation satellites into orbit this year, including four next-generation satellites.

There are currently 27 satellites in the Russian Glonass constellation, 23 of them are operational, one is in maintenance. In February, spokesperson of Russian satellite maker ISS-Reshetnev said that nine next-generation Glonass-K satellites would be added to the constellation by 2022.