GLONASS Designer Honored with Royal Institute of Navigation Award

The Royal Institute of Navigation has awarded the Duke Of Edinburgh’s Navigation Award for Technical Achievement to Professor Nicolai Testoedov, who received it on behalf of Yuri Urlichich, the chief designer of GLONASS, “in recognition of the achievement of a complete operational constellation of satellites in December 2011, thus providing a full global positioning and timing service.”

This award honours a specific achievement by a team or individual in the field of navigation systems development, research, or education. The presentation was made at the RIN Annual General Meeting on July 11 by Sir John Charnley, a past president of the Institute (in the absence of Prince Philip who was engaged in a Diamond Jubilee event). The award has been instituted to mark the 90th birthday of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Patron of the Royal Institute of Navigation.

In 2011, the RIN’s Technical Excellence Award changed its name, becoming the Duke of Edinburgh’s Navigation Award for Technical Achievement. In that year, it was awarded awarded to Barry Wade of Kelvin Hughes for his work on the SharpEye radar system.