Russia launches 3 navigation satellites

Russia's space agency says it has successfully launched three satellites to enhance its equivalent of the US Global Positioning System. The space agency says three GLONASS-M satellites have been put into orbit by a Proton-M rocket that blasted off from the Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan. The agency said the satellites launched Thursday will join Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System, or GLONASS. The system had 17 satellites before Thursday's launch. It's supposed to have 24 satellites available worldwide. The government had promised to make GLONASS fully operational by the beginning of this year, but it was delayed by equipment flaws and other technical problems.