On November 28, 2011 at 08:25 UTC the "Soyuz-2.1b” rocket-carrier was launched from Russian Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The rocket equipped with the "Fregat” booster orbited the "Glonass-M” navigation satellite. The Glonass-M will augment a group of 30 Glonass satellites already in orbit. This was the last launch of a Glonass satellite this year.
Glonass is Russia's answer to the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS, and is designed for both military and civilian uses. Both systems allow users to determine their positions to within a few meters. Russia’s Glonass system currently has 23 operational satellites, while a total of 24 is needed to provide global coverage.
