Russia's GLONASS satellite navigation system has been handed to the Defense Ministry for final tests, the chief executive of the system's developing company said on Monday.

"We presented the system to the customer for final tests currently underway," Russian Space Systems (RSS) Director General Andrei Tyulin told the Izvestiya daily.

Tyulin said tests resumed on Saturday after the company remedied problems previously identified by the ministry.

"Not to get ahead of ourselves, but I can say we are making every effort to complete this work. We hope that the system will be put into operation after testing," the RSS head added.

The ministry is testing GLONASS as a development project, the daily reported.

Operated by the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces and launched in 1993, GLONASS is seen as Russia's version of the US Global Positioning System (GPS).

Russia to Open Four New Glonass Stations Abroad
"We now have five stations outside Russia that are already open for the monitoring and signal relay ground segment. We will open four stations in the near future, talks are underway with other countries," Rogozin said at a meeting with the Russian president and members of the cabinet.

He added that Glonass satellites will have an extended service life of 10 years, rather than the current seven.

According to Rogozin, 2.5 billion devices are currently receiving the signal transmitted via Glonass satellites all over the world.

The deputy prime minister also expressed hope that the share of Glonass satellite navigation system on the global market would reach 40 percent in the future.

Glonass is operated by the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces. Seen as an alternative to the United States' Global Positioning System (GPS), the Glonass network provides real-time positioning and speed data for surface, sea and airborne objects around the globe.

Source: Sputnik News