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New satellites to improve accuracy of Russia’s Glonass orbital grouping to onemeter

Such accuracy will better determine the location of cars, to be helpful in analyzing a traffic accident and restoring the circumstances, Glonass Company Chief Designer Mikhail Korablyov said

ST. PETERSBURG, May 31. /TASS/. New Glonass-K2 satellites will improve the accuracy of Russia’s satellite navigation system from 3-5 meters to 1 meter, Chief Designer of Glonass Company (the operator of the Era-Glonass traffic accident emergency response system) Mikhail Korablyov told TASS on the sidelines of the Transport Security forum on Friday.

Russia is currently drafting a new federal target program for developing the Glonass orbital navigation system in 2021-2030. The program is due to be drafted by 2020.

"The tasks [stipulated in the federal target program] envisage further developing and fully deploying the grouping on the basis of Glonass-K2 satellites and increasing accuracy. The navigation accuracy is about 3-5 meters today and we are set to improve it to less than a meter by the end [of the program’s operation]," he noted.

Such accuracy will better determine the location of cars, which will be helpful in analyzing a traffic accident and restoring the picture of the accident’s circumstances, the chief designer said.

"There are also tasks linked with the country’s defense, there are special precision weapons, the requirements for which already make up less than a meter," he added.

As was reported earlier, Russia’s strategy of developing the Glonass satellite orbital grouping through 2033 stipulates that from 2030 the Glonass system will fully consist of 24 new Glonass-K2 space vehicles that will be manufactured using only domestic components.

The Glonass-K2 is due to become a follow-up of Glonass-K satellites (two such satellites are operational in the Glonass orbital grouping). The new satellite will be transmitting nine navigation signals and will weigh about 1,800 kg (twice as much the Glonass-K). Russia plans to launch the first Glonass-K2 satellite into orbit in late 2019 - early 2020.

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