Russia and India might establish a joint venture to produce navigation equipment for GPS and GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), according to GPS Daily report. GLONASS is the Russian equivalent of the US GPS and is designed for both military and civilian use. Both systems allow users to determine their positions to within a few meters.Russia currently has a total of 22 GLONASS satellites in orbit, but only 16 of them are operational. The system requires 18 operational satellites for continuous navigation services covering the entire territory of Russia and at least 24 satellites to provide navigation services worldwide. The GLONASS navigation satellite system is expected to start operating worldwide by the end of 2010. As soon as global operations are launched, India will be able to use the civilian signal, allowing users to determine their position to within five to 15 meters.
Sources : http://www.gpsdaily.com/
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