GLONASS - News

It is as if the programme is cursed.

Vladimir79 wrote:It is as if the programme is cursed.

Thank God you are not a scientist but a soldier

Program error caused Russian Glonass satellite loss - source

"According to preliminary information, there were no technical problems with the Proton itself during lift-off. A range of specialists consider that program errors in Proton's onboard computer led to the engines failing to function as normal, giving the rocket an extra boost and taking it into the wrong orbit," the source said.

The Proton's onboard computer was developed by specialists of the Russian Pilyugin space equipment construction center, he said.

Austin wrote:

Thank God you are not a scientist but a soldier

We launch dozens of payloads into space every year without incident. We finally get ready to complete the constellation with a huge push of 3 sats and now this. The odds are 1:64 of it happening. Not to mention all the malfunctions of the past. It will take yet another year to get to the level we planned this year, which is already 5 years behind. Then the shorter life sats will be offline and require a dozen more new launches. This is costing billions in setbacks for poor results. State wants to make a competition to NAVSTAR, but this isn't making money nor can we be competitive with it on the best day. This is my money flushed down the toilette.

Vladimir79 wrote:
We launch dozens of payloads into space every year without incident. We finally get ready to complete the constellation with a huge push of 3 sats and now this. The odds are 1:64 of it happening. Not to mention all the malfunctions of the past. It will take yet another year to get to the level we planned this year, which is already 5 years behind. Then the shorter life sats will be offline and require a dozen more new launches. This is costing billions in setbacks for poor results. State wants to make a competition to NAVSTAR, but this isn't making money nor can we be competitive with it on the best day. This is my money flushed down the toilette.

Right now as we speak GLONASS covers all of Russia and indeed many parts of globe , as Brahmos test have used GLONASS and they work consistently as stated by Brahmos chief and all Brahmos test as done in India.

Its not surprising that Satellite Launch Vehical do fail even reliable ones do for many reasons , its just unfortunate that this launch vehical carried Glonass.

But look at wiki or russian space blog you will see reliable SLV have failed nothing extraordinary unless its proven as sabotage.

Even in my country SLV like GSLV have failed and in past too there were couple of failures although India does not have a busy launch tempo as Russia has , yes its a terrible loss for us in terms of money considering we are a poor nation but thats part of the game.

The vehical and satellite would be insured and it wont be a deep financial loss but loss of time.

They are launching GLONASS-K in next 2 weeks and they have two GLONASS as spares in maintanence which can be activated in urgency.

GarryB wrote:Sorry... the western use of the word shame is more like the common use of the words "it is sad that" than other uses of the word

Oh my bad I misunderstood it the other way

Seems kremlin is unhappy with Glonass loss

Kremlin 'puzzled' over Roscosmos arrogance to Glonass criticism

The Kremlin is puzzled by Russia's space agency Roscosmos's reaction to President Dmitry Medvedev's criticism of the Glonass project, presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said on Wednesday.

A Russian Proton-M carrier rocket, launched on Sunday from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan with three Glonass-M satellites deviated from its course and the satellites fell into a non-navigational area of the Pacific Ocean.

"The reaction of Roscosmos's authorities to the president's sharp criticism of the Glonass project implementation has brought about utter puzzlement," Prikhodko said, commenting on the interview of Roscosmos chief Anatoly Perminov to the Russian Izvestia daily.

Perminov told Izvestia there was nothing catastrophic in the recent Glonass failure. "The launching site is not damaged, no one died, and there is just a technical failure."

"Fortunately, it is not really a catastrophe, but it is an absolutely exceptional emergency," Prikhodko said, adding that Roscosmos's self-esteem needed "very serious conclusions."

"It is very strange that the Roscosmos leadership believes the absence of human losses and the non-destruction of the launch pad are criteria in evaluating an important government program."

According to Prikhodko, the criteria should be completely different, "especially in evaluating technical conditions," and added that the criteria used by Roscosmos's chief Anatoly Perminov were "unacceptable."

Glonass is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS, and is designed for both military and civilian use. Both systems allow users to determine their positions to within a few meters.

Austin wrote:

Right now as we speak GLONASS covers all of Russia and indeed many parts of globe , as Brahmos test have used GLONASS and they work consistently as stated by Brahmos chief and all Brahmos test as done in India.

Brahmos uses GPS, if it used GLONASS is the Subcontinent it wouldn't end up close to its target. The satellites that work are GEO over Russia only with a couple of reference sats outside.

But look at wiki or russian space blog you will see reliable SLV have failed nothing extraordinary unless its proven as sabotage.

These rockets hardly ever fail... sabotage is not out of the question.

Even in my country SLV like GSLV have failed and in past too there were couple of failures although India does not have a busy launch tempo as Russia has , yes its a terrible loss for us in terms of money considering we are a poor nation but thats part of the game.

It is not like GSLV that fails half the time, it is the Proton M, the most reliable rocket in history.

The vehical and satellite would be insured and it wont be a deep financial loss but loss of time.

It is not a commercial launch, the government eats the tab... ie my tax dollars.

They are launching GLONASS-K in next 2 weeks and they have two GLONASS as spares in maintanence which can be activated in urgency.

Those down for 'maintenance' do not work and never will. The Ks were meant to finish the constellation, now they have to be reprogrammed and more built. The sats from a few years ago about to add several more 'maintenance' units to the list.

GarryB wrote:I agree. This is hardly a catastrophe. A little embarrassing, and certainly inconvenient, but a catastrophe is is a sub sinking and killing the entire crew. It is not like the GLONASS suddenly will stop working now. No body died. The result is it will just take a little longer to complete. This isn't much different to anywhere else on the planet where timetables get set back because of mistakes or problems. There is no reason to have a panic attack or burst into tears.

Kremlin is angry because he was casual with his words specially after Medvedev ordered an audit of Glonass immediately after failure.

Perminov should be careful on how he puts his words ,Perhaps he could have said it does not immediately affect Glonass but we are seriously investigating the loss as it would delay GLONASS , rather then saying Oh nothing terrible happened every thing is normal , makes it look casual for a very responsible position he is holding.

I think probably sooner than later Perminov may loose his job or he should apologizes or resign after kremlin criticism

The rocket didn't fail, it worked fine. It was a software error. In other words someone entering information made an error that wasn't picked up which caused the rocket to fly on the wrong trajectory so rather than enter a bad orbit path it self destructed and reentered the atmosphere.

Even Software program can be sabotaged not saying it was but could be investigated

It is not like GSLV that fails half the time, it is the Proton M, the most reliable rocket in history.

The performance of the Proton is not in question.

GSLV failed because Indian Cryogenic engine is not working satisfactorily yet , with Russian cryo stage it worked well so far , but the russian one will be replaced by Indian.

Its not about scapegoat or reason of crash or technology , all that is can be investigated.

He is a man in a very responsible position and he should be very careful on how he puts his word since he is answerable to tax payers of russia and kremlin.

His words were just too casual immediately after the loss that gives the impression that he is not serious with his job or the crash happend because he was very casual and unprofessional with his approach which could be wrong but it gives the impression.

Thats like me going to some funeral and saying "hey people do die nothing wrong with it ,every one dies some day or the other" which is ofcourse true but my words lacks the sensitivity and sympathy for the family and dear ones who lost their loved ones.

Perminov should appologise and becareful on how he puts it the next time.

President Medvedev sacks space officials for satellite loss

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev dismissed on Wednesday two senior space industry officials and reprimanded the head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, Anatoly Perminov, for the recent loss of three Glonass satellites.

The satellites were lost on December 5 when a Proton-M carrier rocket veered off course and sunk in the Pacific Ocean. The rocket was equipped with a DM-3 booster, designed and manufactured by the Energia space corporation.

Medvedev dismissed Energia's chief designer of rocket and space systems Vyacheslav Filin and deputy head of Roscosmos Viktor Remishevsky based on a report prepared by a state investigation commission.

The commission concluded that Energia experts miscalculated how much fuel was needed for the DM-3 rocket booster. As a result, the amount of oxidant exceeded the norm by 1-1.5 tons and excessive weight prevented the Proton-M rocket from putting the satellites into their calculated orbit.

In addition, the company's management did not follow all the necessary pre-launch safety procedures and failed to spot the mistake in calculations, the commission reported.

Russia slams own space agency errors

Swedish firm starts using GLONASS


MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Swedish firm has become the first known foreign company to use Russian positioning technology GLONASS, in a sign that the system could become a credible challenge to established U.S. rival GPS.

Sweden's Swepos, a national network of satellite reference stations which provides data for real-time positioning with meter accuracy, said GLONASS was better than GPS at northern latitudes.

"It functions somewhat better at northern latitudes because its satellite orbits are located higher in the sky and we see them better than we do the GPS satellites," said Bo Jonsson, deputy head of a geodesic research unit at Swepos.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's pet project, Russia has been developing GLONASS since 1976, spending $2 billion on it over the last decade.

Russia still has three satellites to launch in order to complete the satellite network.

The project suffered a major embarrassing setback last year when three of the satellites plunged into the Pacific Ocean after a rocket launch went wrong, raising questions over the system's future.

The head of Russia's Federal Space Agency Anatoly Perminov, whose deputy lost his job after the rocket crash, told Putin at a meeting on the future of the Russian space industry last week that the Swepos decision confirmed GLONASS' viability.

"Sweden has moved to using GLONASS. Why? Because in northern countries GLONASS has an advantage over GPS. The Americans themselves will be forced to use it at northern latitudes," he said.

Swepos's Jonsson said 90 percent of their clients were using GLONASS in combination with GPS. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, who oversees GLONASS development, visited the firm earlier this month.

Putin will also visit Sweden later this month, where he is expected to promote the system.

Russia hopes the success of the system will spark a domestic technology revolution as services develop around GLONASS. The first smartphone using GLONASS technology, operated by MTS, went on sale this month.

Russia plans to introduce duties of around 25 percent by 2012 on the import of mobile phones without the GLONASS navigation system, as part of efforts to encourage worldwide adoption of the technology.

In August GLONASS' state operator said firms such as Nokia, Motorola and Qualcomm were in talks with Russian chip manufacturers about the mass production of handheld devices enabled with both GLONASS and GPS.

Russia opens negligence case over loss of Glonass satellites






Russian prosecutors have opened a criminal case on charges of negligence that led to the loss of three Glonass satellites last year, the Prosecutor General's Office said on Monday.

The satellites, meant to conclude the formation of Russia's Glonass navigation system, were lost when a Proton-M carrier rocket veered off course and crashed in the Pacific Ocean in December.

"Criminal proceedings have been launched against space officials who were responsible for the loss of the satellites," the prosecutors said.

Several senior space officials have already been reprimanded for not enforcing all the necessary pre-launch safety procedures and failing to spot a mistake in fuel calculations that led to the loss of the satellites and cost the state 4.3 billion rubles ($152.2 million).

A preliminary investigation conducted on orders of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev established facts of offences punished by the Criminal Code, in which Roscosmos and Russia's Energia space corporation officials were implicated.

"A calculation error was made and remained undetected due to organizational flaws in the work to develop and negotiate the technical documentation within the Energia space corporation, and also due to insufficient control on the part of the personnel responsible for the launch," spokesman for the Investigative Committee Vladimir Markin said.

Energia manufactures the DM-03 boosters for Proton-M carrier rockets. The boosters were mothballed after the accident indefinitely although their performance was deemed satisfactory by investigators.

"The sad thing about this situation is that we are searching for scapegoats rather than building a reliable system. Spacecraft design should not allow human error to cause accidents," Vitaly Lopota, head of Energia space corporation, commented on prosecutors' decision on Monday.

Lopota said his company had developed a draft plan outlining improved safety procedures during the preparation for rocket launches, which should be implemented by August.

MOSCOW, May 23 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.rianovosti.com/russia/20110523/164178608.html

Money allocated for Glonass is spent inefficiently

Another control agencies have concluded that the money allocated for Glonass is spent inefficiently

At this time the results of the check issued Rosfinnadzor. But the main problem is that the contractor of the program - Concern Almaz-Antey "- fails to meet its commitments. Because of this, much of the allocated money remains undisbursed.

Rosfinnadzor conducted an audit of the State Corporation for Air Traffic Management ", during which it examined the costs for two federal programs: the Global Positioning System" and "Modernization of the Unified System of Air Traffic Management". When it came to spending on the Glonass-suffering, it turned out that the corporation has used the money inefficiently. Purchased nearly 300 million rubles equipment is not used as intended, ordered the contractor work not performed. And the cost of those still performed often been overstated. As a result, were thwarted 14 government contracts. Not only that - the corporation did not claim from the contractor liquidated damages for the failure to date.

The main source of problems - the contractor works and Production Association "Almaz-Antey". As told Izvestia Auditor Marina Nikitina, the company fails to meet all its commitments. The union has failed to learn a huge amount: nearly 2 billion rubles allocated for specific programs. Mainly because the individual construction sites not approved construction documents.

The fact that funds allocated for Glonass, spent inefficiently long for anybody not a secret. Attorney General's Office concluded that the different breaches can be found already during the competition for the right to perform the work. Comparing the volumes of financing of works provided for in the program, with initial prices announced tenders and the amounts of contracts, prosecutors found that the competitions are quite formal. A known winner gets a contract, and the maximum price. To substantiate her in estimates clog everything that relates to the work of GLONASS, and possibly what is not true. For example, "ASC Name Reshetnev caught in the fact that the company improperly included in the cost of acquisition and installation of equipment at 84,360,000 rubles.

Claims to the SFP, GLONASS is and at the Chamber. As told Izvestia auditor Sergei Ryabukhin, by 2011 the desired values ​​reached only 18 out of 28 performance measures for its implementation.

For example, it is already 75% of government vehicles should be equipped with sensors GLONASS. But was able to provide only 22,6%. This is despite the fact that program costs are funded from the federal budget in full and on time. In the years 2002-2010 for implementation of events the Federal Program "Global Navigation System" has been allocated 98.7 billion rubles - is 101,2% of the program funds.

Alexander Bayazitova

Russia launches Soyuz-2.1B carrier rocket with Glonass satellite


© RIA Novosti. Oleg Urusov
01:08 03/10/2011
PLESETSK, October 3 (RIA Novosti)




The Soyuz-2.1B carrier rocket with the Glonass-M navigation satellite was launched on early Monday from the Plesetsk Space Center in northern Russia, Space Forces spokesman Colonel Alexei Zolotukhin said.

He said the spacecraft was launched as scheduled at 0:15 on Monday Moscow time (20:15 Sunday GMT).

The launch was initially scheduled for Saturday, but it was postponed since the wind force exceeded the characteristics, allowed at the altitude of 7-10 kilometers.

Glonass is Russia's answer to the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS, and is designed for both military and civilian uses. Both systems allow users to determine their positions to within a few meters.

The Russian aerospace industry has faced a series of misfortunes over the last nine months, including the loss of three Glonass satellites, a prized Express-AM4 satellite and the fall of the Progress M-12M cargo in south Siberia's Altai Republic.

The loss of Glonass satellites alone cost the state 4.3 billion rubles ($152.2 million).

http://www.en.ria.ru/science/20111003/167326670.html

Nice Interview.

What Can We expect from Glonass ( use translator )

http://www.redstar.ru/2011/10/05_10/4_03.html

3 Glonass-M sucessfully inserted in the planned orbit. [ RIAN]

"Proton-M", launched on Friday at 16.51 GMT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by a booster "Briz-M", successfully put into orbit three satellites "Glonass-M," said representative of the Russian Space Agency RIA Novosti. "Separation of the spacecraft from the launch vehicle took place at the estimated time in normal mode" - a spokesman said.

So total operational GLONASS satellite at the moment is 23 , the 3 new satellites means in few weeks it will be 26 and there is 2 more in reserve

VOICE OF RUSSIA

Russia offers India participating in upgrading GLONASS

Russia offers India to participate in upgrading the GLONASS satellite navigation system. This was stated by Deputy Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin during his visit to New Delhi. This is not the only project that Russia and India will jointly develop in the near future.
Russia is determined to cooperate with India first and foremost in the aviation and space industries. Joint work in these areas between the two countries, the development of new weapons and their sale, has years-long history, Dmitry Rogozin said. At present, we must promote contacts between people and establish a system to exchange technology and experience. India’s involvement in upgrading the GLONASS system would be the first point in implementing the plan, NIS-GLONASS general director Alexander Gurko said.

“IT and software are highly developed areas in India. We believe that with the assistance of Indian experts we can give an impetus to the development of applications on the basis of GLONASS-GPS technology. By taking into account the huge consumer market, which is growing fast in India, and the high level of Indian programmers, we will be able to develop our system very fast,” Alexander Gurko said.

Russia offers India a very interesting and advantageous project. Hopefully, India will respond favourably. Moreover, Russia calls on India jointly developing advanced weapons. Experts do not exclude that the navigation system will be one of the key technologies that will be used in military equipment. To make the implementation of these projects easier, Russia is ready to lift visa restrictions for Indian citizens and anticipates a favourable response from India.