Three satellites of the Russian GLONASS global positioning system have been successfully placed on the target orbit. Spokesman for the RF Space Forces Lieutenant-Colonel Alexei Zolotukhin told Itar-Tass on Tuesday that the “Proton-M carrier rocket that was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome at 00:19, Moscow time today, at 03:51 MSK with the use of the DM upper stage placed three Glonass-M spacecraft on the target orbit.” “The separation of the spacecraft was held in the normal mode,” he specified. “Stable communication has been established and is maintained with the spacecraft. The onboard systems of the satellites are functioning normally.” “The transfer of each of the three satellites to the target point of the orbital plane will be made by switching on their propulsion systems,” the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) specified. “It will take 45 days from the launch date to render the new satellites operational,” it added. The satellites will be working on circular orbits at an altitude of 19,100 kilometers and inclination of 64.8 degrees.
