Russia Launches Three Navigation Satellites

A Proton K/DM2 successfully launched three Global'naya Navigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema (Global Navigation Satellite System - GLONASS) satellites from Baikonur Cosmodrome at 1804 UTC on December 1. The satellites were named Kosmos 2380, Kosmos 2381 and Kosmos 2382. The Proton placed the satellites into an elliptical orbit with an apogee of 19,100 km (10,313 nmi) with an inclination of 64.8 degrees. Each satellite will use its own propulsion system to circularize its orbit and move into its final orbital position within the GLONASS network.

NPO PM, Zheleznogorsk, is responsible for the overall development of the GLONASS system, while PO Polyot, Omsk, builds the Uragan spacecraft bus. The 1415 kg (3120 lbm) Uragan satellite bus historically has had a design life of three years. A 1500 kg (3300 lbm) Uragan M spacecraft bus is being introduced, having a six year design life. Kosmos 2382 was the first Uragan M bus launched for the GLONASS constellation. To reduce the cost of the GLONASS system even further, Russia plans to conduct further launches of the GLONASS spacecraft using Soyuz-Fregat rockets launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. It is estimated that the Soyuz-Fregat will cost half the price of a Proton.

The GLONASS network was proposed in 1976 to provide navigational and time reference data for the Soviet Air Force, Navy and Strategic Missile Forces. The constellation was designed to include as many as 24 GLONASS spacecraft in three different orbital planes. The signals from the satellites allow determination of the position of aircraft, ships and ground installations with an accuracy of 10 to 15 meters. The GLONASS network was made available to civilian users in the early 1990s. Russia and the U.S. have been cooperating on integrating the GLONASS and Navstar Global Positioning System (GPS) systems, so users can use both networks. The capabilities of the GLONASS network have diminished during the 1990s, since Russia has failed to readily replace the aging GLONASS satellites. Only six GLONASS satellites are currently functioning on-orbit.

The recent launch was the 30th launch of a Proton carrying a cluster of GLONASS spacecraft since 1982, when deployment of the GLONASS network began. The most recent launch of GLONASS spacecraft took place in October 2000.

The North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that bright streaks of light reported over the central United States and Western Europe on December 1 were space debris fragments from the breakup and reentry of the Blok DM upper stage of the Proton rocket which launched the GLONASS satellites. Uragan translates from Russian into English as hurricane. 

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