For Russia, American GPS just won’t do

A rocket carrying three satellites destined for Russia’s global positioning system, GLONASS, crashed into the Pacific Ocean yesterday. Russia has spent $2 billion developing its own equivalent to the U.S. GPS system and other countries are following suit, including China’s COMPASS and the E.U.’s GALILEO. Why is it so important for countries like Russia to develop their own Global Positioning Systems? Why does Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin insist on his country’s “satellite navigation sovereignty?”

Leo Enright, a science reporter and Chairman of the Irish Government’s Discover Science & Engineering program, joins us to discuss mapping and satellites.