Lifetime Performances of Modernized GLONASS Satellites: A Review

Abstract

GLONASS, successfully operating during 1990s became unusable by early 2000s. Following a revitalization and modernization plan since 2004, GLONASS constellation has been completed again by the end of 2011 and the use of GLONASS is gaining popularity. Because of the previous experience, some scepticism exists among the stakeholders in using GLONASS for reliable solution and application development. This paper critically reviews the operational lifespan of GLONASS satellites launched between 2004 and 2016, as this is an important contributor towards reliability and sustained operation of the system. For popularization and extracting full benefits of GLONASS as stand-alone system or as an active component of multi-GNSS, major issues of assuring the minimum sufficient GLONASS constellation (of 24...23 satellites), efficient design implementation and the modernized ground control segment development and operation need to be properly taken care of by the system operators.