Glonass station commissioned in Venezuela - Roscosmos

MOSCOW. July 10 (Interfax) - A ground station of the Glonass navigation satellite system has been commissioned in Venezuela, Roscosmos said in a statement on Wednesday.

"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," the Roscosmos press service quoted Roscosmos head Dmitry Bakanov as saying at the station opening ceremony.

Glonass is "a reliable alternative to other global navigation systems," he said.

Glonass will facilitate navigation of land, sea and air transport, help locate vehicles in emergency, and enhance flight safety at the Caracas International Airport, as well as at mountain and remote unpaved airports in Venezuela, Bakanov said.

"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.

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

A contract for opening a Glonass ground station in Venezuela was signed on December 15, 2022. Roscosmos said that the station would enhance coordinate-time and accuracy characteristics of the Glonass system both in the western hemisphere and globally.