Posted: Thu, Apr 3, 2014, 8:47 AM ET (1247 GMT)
Russia's GLONASS satellite navigation system suffered an 11-hour outage on Wednesday, reportedly due to a technical glitch. The satellite network was broadcasting corrupted data from about 5 pm EDT Tuesday to 4 am EDT Wednesday (2100 GMT Tuesday to 0800 GMT Wednesday; 1 am to noon Moscow time Wednesday) that was rendering GLONASS receivers useless in calculating positions. According to one report, the problem started when inaccurate ephemerides, used by the satellites to determine their position in orbit, were uploaded to the spacecraft by controllers. The network has resumed normal service. GLONASS, a system similar to the American Global Positioning System (GPS), uses a constellation of satellites in medium Earth orbit to provide navigation services.

Related Links:

•  GPS World article
•  Inside GNSS article
•  IDG News Service article