GLONASS will develop a local navigation system for the Northern Sea Route

GLONASS intends to develop a local navigation system that will provide communications throughout the Northern Sea Route (NSR), said Mikhail Korablev, chief designer of the company, transmits TASS.

“It is planned to create a local navigation system, including one that does not depend on satellite navigation, in the region of the Gulf of Ob. Further replication is planned. [этой системы] for the whole Northern Sea Route“, – he said.

Korablev explained that the creation of such a system would provide navigation throughout the Arctic zone.

Formerly Roskosmos informedthat by 2024 the Russian orbital constellation will be expanded with two hydrometeorological devices “Arktika-M”, as well as satellites “Kondor-FKA” and “Obzor-R” for radar surveillance. By 2026, the state corporation plans to launch four Express-RV devices for broadband Internet, in particular, along the Semorput.

Northern Sea Route runs along the northern coast of Russia and connects the European and Far Eastern ports of the Russian Federation, as well as the mouths of navigable Siberian rivers. Its length is 5600 km from the Kara Gate Strait to Providence Bay. Navigation in the eastern sector of the NSR in winter is now impossible without icebreaking assistance (ice thickness reaches 3 m). The project of transition to year-round navigation along the Northern Sea Route is a strategic one for Russia. According to the Ministry for the Development of the Far East, this will make the NSR a full-fledged alternative to the Suez Canal, reducing the sea route from Europe to Asia by more than 30%.

At the beginning of August the government approved plan for the development of the NSR until 2035. In total, the plan includes 150 activities, which are included in five key sections: cargo base, transport infrastructure, cargo and icebreaking fleet, safety of navigation along the Northern Sea Route, as well as management and development of navigation along the NSR. 1.8 trillion rubles were allocated for the implementation of the plan. The task of preparing a plan for the development of the NSR until 2035 was outlined by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prior to this, the government created the main department of the NSR. It will organize the passage of ships, issue and revoke navigation permits. The founder of the new structure will be the state corporation “Rosatom“.

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