Russia will launch three next-generation GLONASS satellites in 2023

Moscow, December 14 – In 2023 Russia is going to update the orbital constellation of GLONASS navigation satellites with three devices of the new generation – two Glonass-K and one Glonass-K2, follows the information on the Glavkosmos website (a subsidiary of Roscosmos for the commercialization of the Russian space industry).

According to the information provided on the site, in 2023 two Glonass-K and one Glonass-K2 satellite, as well as Kondor-FKA, Arktika-M and Obzor-R Earth remote sensors should be launched in 2023. Resurs -P “,” Electro-L “,” Meteor-M “and two” Ionosphere “. In addition, it is planned to launch the Luna-25 station and launch ten nanosatellites into orbit.

The data also indicates that two Angara missiles will be launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome – one light Angara-1.2 and one heavy Angara-A5. There is no information about the possible launch of the Angara light rocket from the Vostochny cosmodrome, although it was previously reported that the first launch of the new rocket from the Far East space center will take place in December 2023.

Also scheduled are two Soyuz MS manned spacecraft launches and four Progress MS truck launches to the International Space Station. However, it is not known whether this plan was made before or after the flight program change. On January 11, it became known that the Soyuz MS-22, which is now docked at the ISS, will return unmanned due to damage to the cooling system, and the next Soyuz MS-23 will fly to the station empty to pick up the aircraft. The crew who will be left without a ship. The originally planned Soyuz MS-23 crew will fly to the station at a later date.

Release dates have not been announced.

Earlier, Roskosmos reported that the GLONASS space complex will receive the latest GLONASS-K2 satellites. The first launch was originally planned for 2022, but it never happened.

The new vehicles emit more navigational signals. If Glonass-M, of which the orbital constellation now mainly consists, has five signals, then Glonass-K has seven, and Glonass-K2 has nine. In addition, the proportion of electronic components is gradually increasing on new satellites. It is expected to reach 100% by 2026.

At the moment, there are 25 instruments in the orbital constellation of GLONASS, of which four are Glonass-K and the rest are Glonass-M. One Glonass-K is at the stage of entry into the system, and the remaining 24 (this is the amount required to globally cover the Earth with the system’s navigation signals) are working for their intended purpose.