Posted: Sun, Dec 25, 2005, 12:59 PM ET (1759 GMT)
A Russian Proton booster launched three GLONASS navigation satellites early Sunday. The Proton-K lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 12:07 am EST (0507 GMT). It placed into orbit three satellites of the GLONASS satellite navigation system, the Russian version of GPS. The three satellites included one older model with a three-year operational life and two newer GLONASS-M satellites, which have a longer service life of seven years. After years of neglect, Russia is modernizing its GLONASS system to bring the satellite constellation back to at least 18 operational satellites by 2007; currently there are 14 spacecraft in orbit.

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