Russia launches Glonass satellite

MOSCOW, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Russia launched a new navigation satellite Monday from Plesetsk space center, space officials said.

The Soyuz rocket carrying the Glonass-M satellite launched on schedule at 8:25 a.m. GMT, RIA Novosti reported. The satellite will join 27 similar satellites already in orbit. Space officials said 24 functioning satellites are needed to provide global coverage for Glonass, which is the Russian version of the U.S. Global Positioning System.

The navigation system is designed for both military and civilian applications.