Russia's Glonass satellite navigation system on Tuesday suffered its second major glitch in a matter of weeks, just hours after the Emergency Situations Ministry said it intends to equip all 73 of its aircraft with the system.
Eight of Glonass' 24 satellites malfunctioned for a half-hour period shortly after 1 a.m., Interfax reported, citing data published on the website of the Federal Space Agency's analytical center.
A ninth satellite stopped working completely at 10:20 p.m. on Monday, and remained out of order as of midday Tuesday.
The latest problems came just two weeks after all of Glonass' satellites provided inaccurate data to consumers for more than 10 hours.
Nikolai Testoyedov, general director at Reshetnev, the company that manufactured the Glonass satellites, has said that the glitches occurred while work was being carried out to update the system, Izvestia reported.
The Glonass system, which was initially designed to provide Soviet submarines with coordinates during the Cold War, has been refashioned in recent years as an alternative to the United States' Global Positioning System, or GPS. In 2012, it was announced that 300 billion rubles ($8.3 billion) had been set aside to develop Glonass until 2020.
As well as announcing its plans to fit out its aircraft with Glonass, the Emergency Situations Ministry also said that it would install the software on all its sea and river vessels, RIA Novosti reported Monday.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.