On November 4, 2011 at 12:51 UTC the Russian "Proton-M” rocket-carrier was launched from Baykonur Cosmodrome. The rocket equipped with the "Briz-M” booster orbited 3 Russian navigation satellites. Built by the "ISS Reshetnev” Corporation, each "Glonass M” satellite has a design life of seven years. The Glonass system broadcasts navigation signals to Russian military and civilian users around the world. It is Russia's counterpart to the U.S. Air Force's Global Positioning System.
