Status and development of GLONASS

Designed mainly for military purposes the Russian GLONASS system has been fully deployed in 1995 with constellation of 24 satellites. At the same time GLONASS is available for civil users with the L1 signal of the Standard Accuracy without any selective availability. Commitments of the Russian Government to sustain GLONASS for next 10 years of the free use have been presented to the world community in 1995. But after 1995 to the end of 1998 due to lack of the federal budget funding the GLONASS constellation has been degraded. At the same time recent years have shown the great benefit of the satellite navigation not only for militaries but for civil applications as well. Occupying more and more applications satellite navigation became one of the strategic political and economical elements. Recognition of the strategic role of the satellite navigation pushed Europe to start development of GALILEO system mainly oriented to the civil applications. GPS system also has the deep modernisation programme to provide better service for both military and civil applications. In that conditions by the Presidential Decree (1999) GLONASS became a dual use system having two customers: Ministry of Defence and Russian Aviation and Space Agency (Rosaviakosmos). Recognising the importance of satellite navigation the Russian Government on 20 August 2001, has adopted the long-term programme of GLONASS sustainment, modernisation and application ensuring the user equipment development and serial production. The final objective of the programme is the fully deployed global system by 2008 with performances, which has to ensure the wide GLONASS use in the Russian and world market of the navigation service. The mentioned above confirms that GLONASS really became already not a military system but the dual use system under coordination of the civil institution. Governmental approval of the long-term programme ensures both developers and users to be more optimistic for the GLONASS future. Co-existence of GPS, GLONASS and GALILEO will give users the robust, reliable navigation service with performances providing their life better.