MOSCOW — The days of their Cold War may have passed, but Russia and the United States are in the midst of another battle – this one a technological fight over the future of America’s Global Positioning System, or GPS. By the end of the year, the authorities here say, the Russian space agency plans to launch eight navigation satellites that would nearly complete the country’s own system, called Glonass, for Global Navigation Satellite System. The system is expected to begin operating over Russian territory and parts of Europe and Asia before going global in 2009. Nor is Russia the only country trying to break the American monopoly on navigation technology. China has already sent up two satellites to create its own system, called Baidu, for the Chinese word for the Big Dipper. Work on the European Union’s rival system, Galileo, has been halted because of doubts among the private contractors over its potential for profitability. The Russian system is furthest along, paid for with government oil profits. The technological battle is being driven, in part, by the potential new uses for satellite navigation, best known for providing directions to drivers. Business sectors as disparate as […]