MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. Russia’s next-generation Glonass-K2 navigation satellite is likely to be launched in the second quarter of 2022, a source in the country’s rocket and space industry told TASS.

"The launch of Russia’s Glonass-K2 navigation satellite is tentatively scheduled for the middle of the second quarter of 2022," the source said adding that the satellite was currently undergoing trials.

Glonass-K2 is the next-generation navigational satellite of Russia’s Glonass positioning system. On April 22, CEO of the Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems Company (the satellites’ producer) Nikolai Testoyedov told TASS the inaugural launch of the spacecraft was scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2021.

In October 2020, Glonass chief designer Sergey Karutin told TASS that Glonass-K2 satellites would provide navigation precision of less than 30 centimeters (11.8 inches). In turn, Testoyedov said that the new satellites’ launch was postponed from 2020 to 2021. According to the official, a certain part of onboard equipment required further work following on-ground trials.