Russia to Establish Glonass Satellite Ground Station in Venezuela

Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, has stated that a Glonass navigation satellite system has been commissioned in Venezuela. Dmitry Bakanov, Roscosmos CEO, said that “Today is a remarkable day for our space cooperation and for the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. We are commissioning a ground station of the Glonass navigation satellite system. Glonass is a reliable alternative to other global navigation systems.”

Glonass, or “Global Navigation Satellite System”, is a Russian satellite navigation system designed to provide real-time navigation and timing services to an unlimited number of users on land, at sea, in the air, and in space. Glonass is the only system in the world that provides access to a civilian global positioning signal in two frequency bands, L1 and L2, to consumers worldwide free of charge. As a rule, Glonass and GPS are used simultaneously to increase the accuracy and speed of measurements, but in the event of an escalation in the international situation, the United States could shut down the GPS system over certain territories. Glonass allows Russia and other participating countries to be independent of GPS.

Glonass will facilitate navigation of land, sea, and air transport; help locate vehicles in emergencies; and enhance flight safety at the Caracas International Airport, as well as at mountain and remote unpaved airports in Venezuela, Bakanov said, adding that “The system will assist in conducting precision geodetic and topographic surveys of the earth’s surface, ensuring precision agriculture during field and harvesting work, and monitoring the condition of facilities in Venezuela’s oil and industrial sectors.” Roscosmos said that the station would enhance coordinate-time and accuracy characteristics of the Glonass system both in the Western Hemisphere and on an international basis.

Additionally, Russia and Venezuela discussed prospects for cooperating in the construction of satellites and ground-based space infrastructure, the application of space technologies, manned space exploration, and the training of personnel for the Venezuelan space industry.