Russia to Insure Next GLONASS Launch
The next GLONASS launch — the GLONASS-K1 satellite from Plesetsk scheduled for November 20 — is being insured for 2.17 billion rubles ($50 million US). The insurance is costing Russia 242 million roubles ($5.6 million US).
Russia has faced numerous technical difficulties in its launches. On May 15, a Proton-M satellite crashed. In 2013, Russia lost three GLONASS satellites when their launch aboard a Proton-M rocket went awry, sending the satellites crashing into the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan instead of aloft into space. In 2010, three other GLONASS satellites ended up in the Pacific Ocean aboard a Proton-M rocket.
The insurance covers the launch and flight tests of the carrier rocket Soyuz-2.1b, with the satellite GLONASS-K. Flight tests, according to the tender documentation, will last for three months.
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