Science and Health

    Crash hurts Russia satellite challenge to US GPS

    (Agencies)
    Updated: 2010-12-07 01:35
    Large Medium Small

    MOSCOW - The botched launch of three of its satellites will delay Russia's bid to challenge US dominance of the market for satellite navigation technology by at least six months, analysts said on Monday.

    The loss of the three satellites, which crashed into the Pacific Ocean about 1,500 km (900 miles) north-west of Hawaii on Sunday, scuppers the Kremlin's much-touted plans to complete the GLONASS system this year.

    The state has spent over $2 billion in the last decade on achieving what Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has called "satellite navigation sovereignty" and has high hopes it will lead a domestic revolution in consumer devices like smartphones and vehicle sat-navs.

    But experts estimated the crash cost 5 billion roubles ($160 million) and set Russia back six months in realising the navigation system, which has its roots in the Cold War technology that was used to guide strategic missiles.

    "It's a very vexing loss: several billion roubles and several months to build the next three satellites," Igor Lissov, editor of the specialist space journal Novosti Kosmonavtiki, published by the federal space agency, told Reuters.

    "Full exploitation of the GLONASS system, 100 percent coverage, will be delayed by about half a year."

    The satellites that crashed were the last of a batch of 24 needed to complete GLONASS, or Global Navigation System, Moscow's answer to the US-built Global Positioning System (GPS).

    To operate globally, GLONASS needs a minimum of 24 satellites, the number in the GPS constellation, not counting spares in orbit. Russia currently has 20 active satellites.

    ?"The US system works, but ours doesn't yet," said defence analyst Alexander Konovalov, head of the Institute of Strategic Assessment and Analysis.

    SATELLITE CRASH

    Without GLONASS, Russia's military fears that it is at the mercy of the United States, which it says could block or blur its GPS signal in a time of crisis -- allegations which were rife during the 2008 Georgia-Russia war, Konovalov said.

    During that conflict, Russia could have avoided a number of civilian casualities and attacks on its war planes had it been equipped with navigation devices and a fully operational satellite network, he added.

    But also driving the battle for control over navigation technology is the myriad of consumer applications that have driven booming sales of GPS devices worldwide.

    Despite the latest setback, analysts said Russia's dreams of matching the US system may be close to fruition thanks to a Russian firm, KB Navis, which claims to have developed the first chipsets capable of melding the two systems.

    Once the technology is sold later this year, Russian officials have pledged protectionist, anti-GPS measures to stimulate the domestic market.

    Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said in October that Russian was looking to introduce duties of around 25 percent by 2012 on the import of mobile phones without the GLONASS navigation system.

    The head of the GLONASS operator, Alexander Gurko, said in August that Nokia, Motorola and Qualcomm were in talks with Russian chip manufacturers about the mass production of GLONASS handheld devices.

    Gurko also said that the Russian satellite navigation market, estimated at only $1 billion in 2010, will grow to about $10 billion in 2014 and that GLONASS will also market its technology in India, the Middle East and ex-Soviet countries.

     

    国产精品综合专区中文字幕免费播放 | 中文精品99久久国产 | 国产成人无码精品一区二区三区 | 色综合久久综合中文综合网| 日韩爆乳一区二区无码| 亚洲日韩在线中文字幕第一页| 日韩精品无码免费视频| 无码一区二区三区免费| 日韩欧美中文字幕一字不卡| 熟妇人妻久久中文字幕| 精品久久久无码中文字幕天天| 亚洲AV无码1区2区久久| 最近中文2019字幕第二页| 国产区精品一区二区不卡中文| 亚洲人成无码网站久久99热国产| 国产热の有码热の无码视频| 亚洲日韩精品一区二区三区无码| 高清无码中文字幕在线观看视频| 2022中文字字幕久亚洲| 亚洲人成中文字幕在线观看| 亚洲gv天堂无码男同在线观看| 免费A级毛片无码A∨中文字幕下载| 亚洲国产精品无码久久一线| av无码人妻一区二区三区牛牛| 亚洲毛片网址在线观看中文字幕| 一本大道香蕉中文在线高清| 日韩欧美群交P片內射中文| 国产啪亚洲国产精品无码| YY111111少妇无码理论片| 久久亚洲AV成人无码国产| 精品无码国产污污污免费网站| 色窝窝无码一区二区三区色欲| 亚洲AV无码欧洲AV无码网站| 小13箩利洗澡无码视频网站| 亚洲VA成无码人在线观看天堂| 亚洲精品无码专区久久久 | 无码精品A∨在线观看| 无码成A毛片免费| 国模无码一区二区三区| 亚洲中文字幕无码专区| 中文无码伦av中文字幕|