Russia adds three satellites to Glonass fleet

Russia has launched three satellites to extend the coverage of the Global Navigation Satellite System, or Glonass, over the entire Russian territory, according to an AP report.

The satellites were sent into orbit Tuesday on a Proton-M rocket that blasted off from Kazakhstan, said Alexander Vorobyov, spokesman for Russia's Federal Space Agency.

The three satellites bring the Glonass fleet to 18, enough to provide navigation services over the entire Russian territory, said First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, as quoted by AP. Ivanov added that Glonass would be available worldwide by 2010, and by then it would have 24 satellites.

Glonass is Russia's version of Europe's Galileo and the United States' GPS.