What is GLONASS?

GLONASS (Globalnaya Navigazionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema) is Russia’s global navigation satellite system, providing worldwide positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services. Operated by the Russian Federation’s Roscosmos State Corporation, GLONASS is one of the four major GNSS constellations alongside GPS (USA), Galileo (EU), and BeiDou (China). The system consists of a constellation of medium Earth orbit satellites transmitting signals on multiple frequencies, enabling users to determine their position anywhere on Earth.

GLONASS is widely used in applications such as automotive navigation, surveying, robotics, and mobile devices. Modern GNSS receivers often support GLONASS in addition to other constellations, improving accuracy and reliability, especially in challenging environments like urban canyons or under dense foliage. Access to GLONASS civil signals is free and unrestricted for both Russian and international users, supporting interoperability and redundancy in global positioning solutions.