Satellite navigation for the masses!

The Russian Space Agency (Roskosmos) announced the successful launch of three new GLONASS-M satellites on Friday 26th October. The satellites were fired into orbit atop a Proton booster from Baikonur. This launch represents the first tangible developments from the governments 9.88 billion rubles (£190 million) investment in the system in 2007 and puts the Russians on track to have the constellation fully operable again by 2009.

This launch announcement comes hot on the heels of the news that the system is likely to move towards the use of a CDMA spectrum scheme rather than the current FDMA arrangement on the future block of GLONASS-K satellites.