3 x Glonass-M (Kosmos 2459, Kosmos 2460, Kosmos 2461)
Launch Successful
Launch Details
Date: 1 Mar 2010, 09:19 pm UTC
Rocket: Proton-M (Proton / UR-500)
Provider: Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center
Mission
Type: Navigation
Orbit: Medium Earth Orbit
Pad: 81/24 (81P), Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Mission Description
Glonass-M, also known as Uragan-M, are the second generation of Uragan satellite design used for GLONASS satellite navigation system. GLONASS is a Russian space-based navigation system comparable to the similar GPS and Galileo systems. This generation improves on accuracy, power consumption and design life. Each satellite weighs 1415 kg, is equipped with 12 L-band antennas, and has an operational lifetime of 7 years.
