Russia launches 3 navigation satellites

Russia's space agency has successfully launched three satellites to enhance its equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System.

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 satellites launched will join Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System, or GLONASS.The system had 17 satellites before this 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.

PRECISION FARMING

Precision farming, sometimes called site-specific farming, is an emerging technology that allows farmers to adjust for within-field variability in characteristics like soil fertility and weed populations.
Precision farming uses the global positioning system (GPS), consisting of 24 satellites that transmit signals picked up by user receivers to define the receiver's location. With this information and on-board sensors, farm equipment can monitor crop yields and guide applications of crop inputs like fertilizers and herbicides.
Precision farming has the potential to reduce costs through more efficient and effective applications of crop inputs. It can also reduce environmental impacts by allowing farmers to apply inputs only where they are needed at the appropriate rate.