GLONASS-K1 to Replace an Existing GLONASS-M in Six Months

News courtesy of CANSPACE Listserv.

According to the December 10 issue of Sibirskii Sputnik (Siberian Satellite), the internal newspaper of ISS Reshetnev, the GLONASS-K1 No. 12 satellite (GLONASS 702K) will be brought into service after a six-month test period and replace an existing GLONASS-M satellite, which will subsequently become a reserve satellite.

In news reported by the Russian magazine Vestnik GLONASS, Information Satellite Systems Reshetnev, the manufacturer of the GLONASS satellites, will now produce nine GLONASS-K1 satellites.

“For a smooth transition to a multi-functional group and due to issues with the very complex GLONASS-K2 satellites, we decided to continue with the GLONASS-K1 intermediate range of satellites and we are preparing for the launch of nine units of this series,” said Nikolai Testoyedov, CEO of Information Satellite Systems Reshetnev.

Testoyedov recalled that the original plan was to launch only two GLONASS-K1 satellites and then move on to the GLONASS-K2 satellites. “In the beginning, really, we wanted after the two GLONASS-K1 satellites No. 11 and 12, to go for the launch of more advanced GLONASS-K2 devices. But, unfortunately, the plans had to be adjusted somewhat because of the sanctions restricting the delivery of radiation-resistant electronic components from the West. We have to put a hold on the in-depth development of technical and technological documentation and that delays us in terms of moving ahead by at least a year or two.”