MOSCOW, April 22. /ITAR-TASS/. Technicians have brought a malfunctioning satellite back on line to restore operation of Russia's Glonass-M global navigation system.

"The orbital group is fully deployed," the Central Research Institute of Machine Building (TsNIImash) website reported.

Repairs have reduced a fault severing links between the 24 satellites needed to power the worldwide navigation signal.

Glonass-M is a 2nd generation spacecraft of Russia's global satellite navigation system, produced by the Reshetnev information satellite systems JSC. Its service life is seven years, compared with just three years of the 1st generation unit. Glonass-M transmits two signals for civilian consumers which considerably enhances the point positioning accuracy.