Technical flaw delays Glonass satellite launch by month

Roscosmos's Anatoly Perminov said he had not as yet been officially notified of the specific cause for the postponement of the launch, which had been scheduled for Friday from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.

"I have to be sure that there will not be any problems with the satellites we are planning to orbit. I believe that a month should be enough for a working group to sort things out, and by the end of 2009, all six Glonass satellites will be launched," he said.

Glonass - the Global Navigation Satellite System - is the Russian equivalent of 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; Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version.