Russia’s Satellite GLONASS, Ban in the US

"One reason we began placing our own satellite navigation was that, first, we don't need to depend on the prospect of being stop because it may occur to the Americans to do, and, second, we wish to rule out wherever the GPS may well be used to spy on the movements of a number of our sensitive shipments or peoples',"

Alexander Vlasov, marketing Director for the Grotek company told the Voice of Russia.

The United States doesn't want GLONASS stations on its territory. Americans are afraid that Russia's GLONASS global satellite navigation system might be used to spy on the US. No official ban has been imposed, but the new requirements that have been suggests now create the placement of ground-based tracking stations next to impossible.

The 2014 defense bill signed by President Barack Obama rules the navigation systems of other countries should not harm the American GPS system by creating it less commercially engaging and obliged to broadcast solely uncodified data.

Despite that unfriendly gesture towards GLONASS, satellite navigation is a sphere where cooperation and teamwork ought to prevail, Alexei Smyatskikh, General Director of the Space Team holding, told the Voice of Russia.

"There aren't any controls on GPS signal reception or use in Russia or anyplace in the world. We have always been open to cooperation. All specialists have always said and continue saying that customers will benefit much more by using each systems - the GLONASS-GPS combination - than by using only one," Smyatskikh said.

The Russian side applied for permission to create GLONASS tracking stations on US soil in May 2012.

The US State Department was about to grant it but faced strong criticism from Congress and the Pentagon amid fears that Russia may potentially use those stations for spying on the US, so a clause in the defense bill requiring that foreign satellite navigation systems broadcast only uncodified data.

The problem is, however, the American side too can use its GPS system for military works. So, should Russia respond?