GLONASS currently has 17 operation satellites in orbit that track the whereabouts of consumers on land, at sea and in space. The number is to be increased to 24.

Ivanov said a federal target program was being reviewed to reduce terms for the completion of the system, and it has been coordinated with all ministries and departments concerned except the Ministry of Finance.

"I hope the program will have been adjusted by the late April," Ivanov said.

In December, President Vladimir Putin ordered that the GLONASS system be ready before 2008.

The first launch under the GLONASS program took place October 12, 1982, but the system was only formally launched September 24, 1993.

GLONASS satellites were designed and built by a research and production center based in Krasnoyarsk in southern Siberia.

The satellites currently in use are of two modifications - GLONASS and its updated version GLONASS-M. GLONASS-M has a longer service life of seven years and is equipped with updated antenna feeder systems and an additional navigation frequency for civilian users.

The future modification, GLONASS-K, is an entirely new model based on a non-pressurized platform, standardized to the specifications of the previous models' platform, Express-1000.

GLONASS-Ks are small-sized spacecraft that are considerably lighter than their previous models, which makes them less costly to put into orbit. Their weight also allows the use of a wider range of carrier rockets. GLONASS-Ks' estimated service life has been increased to 10-12 years and a third "civilian" L-range frequency was added.

Tests on GLONASS-K satellites are scheduled for 2007.

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