Russia’s GLONASS constellation moved a step closer to full global coverage with the launch of three new satellites on September 2, 2010.  At present, twenty-one GLONASS satellites are operational, and two others are considered spares.  Three additional satellites are scheduled for launch in November, and the first in a series of GLONASS-K satellites is scheduled to launch in December.  The new GLONASS-K series will feature a longer lifespan of up to ten years and additional signal capacity.  With a full constellation expected to be complete by the end of the year, Russia is currently promoting its GNSS technology to both foreign and domestic manufacturers of navigational receivers and related products.

On September 11, 2010, Japan launched the first in a series of three satellites that will provide enhanced navigation signals for Japan and portions of the surrounding Asia-Pacific region.  The Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) is named for the asymmetrical Figure-8 orbit that will keep at least one satellite almost directly overhead – at the zenith – at all times.  For high accuracy positioning, the ideal satellite geometry is to have one satellite at the zenith and three others broadly scattered around it.  The new satellite, also known as “Michbiki,” will send signals that are interchangeable with those of the United States’ GPS constellation, thus allowing the QZSS to augment the eight to eleven GPS satellites that are normally available over Japan at any given time.  When fully operational in 2013, the three QZSS satellites will reduce ranging errors and increase positioning accuracy even in areas of Japan where urban canyons or mountainous terrain have previously been an issue

Even before Michibiki was launched, it had its own iPhone/iTouch application. QZ-Finder allows users to keep track of QZSS and GPS satellite positions overhead with a compass-like skyplot view as well as a world map view that shows how the satellites are distributed around the globe and even tracks the QZSS orbit trajectory.  The new app also features an augmented reality view of the satellites that can be accessed through the user’s iPhone camera and even incorporated into a photograph for an image that is truly “out of this world.”