Russian Space Forces to conduct 14 rocket launches by yearend

Russia's Space Forces will carry out 14 launches of various carrier rockets until the end of 2011, SF commander Lt. Gen. Oleg Ostapenko said. "About 14 launches will be carried out from the Plesetsk and Baikonur space centers," Ostapenko told reporters on Tuesday. He added that the list includes test launches of ballistic missiles and scheduled space launches. Earlier reports indicated that the SF would be responsible for the launch of at least three additional Glonass-M satellites by the end of 2011 to complete the Glonass satellite navigation grouping. Russia currently has a total of 28 Glonass satellites in orbit, although only 23 of them are operational. The complete Glonass grouping must have 24 operational and 2-3 reserve satellites for the Glonass network to operate with global coverage.