Browse Resources by Country

2015 – IRNSS – Snapshot

India’s share of the world’s operational PNT satellites hovered around 4% for 2014 and 2015. Launching one Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) satellite in 2015, the country continued to make progress toward its goal of operating seven regionally focused PNT satellites by 2016. All of the IRNSS constellation’s satellites will orbit the Earth in geosynchronous orbit, with four of the seven moving about in inclined orbits while the remaining three stay in a steady geostationary path.

2015 – Galileo – Snapshot

The European Union’s space-based PNT efforts began in 2005, making 2015 the tenth anniversary for its PNT efforts. Galileo, the European PNT satellite system, is scheduled to be complete by 2020. For 2014, Europe owned 5% of the total global operational PNT satellites in orbit that. During 2014, Europe had succeeded in launching six Galileo PNT satellites. However, two of the Galileo satellites were launched into an incorrect orbit in August 2014, effectively reducing the number of operational European PNT satellites orbiting the Earth in 2014 to four.

2015 – GLONASS – Snapshot

As of December 2015, Russia’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), comprised 24% of the operational global PNT constellations. Like the U.S. GPS milestone, 2015 marked the 20th anniversary of Russia’s deployment of GLONASS. The initial full deployment of 24 GLONASS satellites occurred in 1995. Completion of testing activities allowed the Russians to consider GLONASS fully operational in early 1996.