Aviation Grade
For the complete story, including figures, graphs, and images, please download the PDF of the article, above.
By Inside GNSS
Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
For the complete story, including figures, graphs, and images, please download the PDF of the article, above.
By Inside GNSS
With the launch of the Delta IV rocket on May 27 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station the first satellite (space vehicle number 62 or SVN62) of the latest GPS generation Block IIF (F, for “follow-on”) was carried into earth orbit — a major step with roots in the past.
Eight years ago in August 2002 the United States decided in coordination with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-R) to transmit a new civil signal on a third frequency known as L5.
By Inside GNSS
GPS L5 Signal Spectrum. German Aerospace Center imageThe German Aerospace Center (DLR) has tracked and recorded the first operational L5 GPS signal as transmitted by the first GPS Block IIF satellite launched on May 27. The accompanying spectral image of the signal was received at about 15:10 UTC (GMT) today (June 17, 2010).
By Inside GNSS
ITT Corporation has announced that it passed a key milestone last month with successful completion of the critical design review (CDR) for the Mission Data Unit (MDU) the company is developing as part of the navigation payload for the U.S. Air Force’s GPS III program.
By Inside GNSS
GPS IIF SV1 Spectral Flux Density on L1. DLR figure
[Updated June 10] The U.S. Air Force announced today (June 10) that it has begun
testing the new operational L5 signal transmitted by the first GPS IIF satellite (space vehicle 1 or SV1 — designated SVN-62 in the overall GPS system), which was launched May 27.
On June 7, 2010, a team of experts from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Stanford University in California reported results of their tracking of the first navigation signals from the satellite, the pseudorandom noise code 25 (PRN25) on L1 and L2 — C/A and P(Y).
By Inside GNSS
GPS Block IIF Satellite (Boeing photo)Last week’s launch of the first GPS Block IIF illustrates the changes that have occurred not only with the pioneering U.S. GNSS program but also with the nation’s aerospace industry since the Global Positioning System initiative was launched 36 years ago.
By Inside GNSS
Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) ConceptThe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) accelerated its move toward a Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) with contracts awarded to Boeing, General Dynamics and ITT on May 26 and performance requirements for aircraft tracking equipment announced May 28.
NextGen, to be completed by 2025, will rely heavily upon GNSS to increase capacity, efficiency, and safety in the National Air Space (NAS) while reducing adverse environmental effects.
By Inside GNSS
Only a decade ago, but a world away: 2000.
The last year of the old century that everyone thought was the first of the new.
When flying was still a delight, rather than a worrisome bother.
When the expected — a global Y2K bug–bitten IT meltdown — didn’t happen, and the much-anticipated but still-unexpected did: the United States turned off GPS selective availability.
By Inside GNSS
Stas Sila-Novitsky (left) and Javad Ashjaee. Photo by Marc Cheves, American SurveyorVery sad news from Moscow. Earlier this month, Stanislav Sila-Novitsky — Stas to his friends and colleagues — died unexpectedly after a short illness.
A member of the executive staff of Javad GNSS, Sila-Novitsky had a long career in space electronics engineering. During the Soviet era, he was the department head with the Russian Space Agency’s Institute of Space Device Engineering, which was responsible for the development of the overall GLONASS system electronics.
By Inside GNSS
IIF SV1 Takes Off. Photo Courtesy of Pat Corkery, United Launch AllianceBoeing announced today (May 28) that it has acquired the first on-orbit signals from the first GPS Block IIF satellite, the inaugural spacecraft in a 12-satellite block that the company is building. The signals indicate that the spacecraft bus is functioning normally and ready to begin orbital maneuvers and operational testing.
The satellite was launched May 27 on its fourth attempt aboard a Delta IV rocket at 11:00 (EDT) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. At 2:33 a.m. today, the satellite separated from the rocket’s upper stage, and a ground station on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean received the first signals from the newest member of the Air Force’s GPS satellite constellation, according to Boeing.
By Inside GNSS
As the United States enters a season of crucial Department of Defense (DoD) policy reviews, GPS may be riding the wave or caught in the ebb tide, depending on how one reads the signs. But a softer line toward cooperative efforts on GNSS may be emerging, if only because of concerns about U.S. dependence on a potentially vulnerable system.
The Quadrennial Defense Review, the Space Posture Review, and program objective memorandums (POMs) that will span fiscal 2012-2016 all are in process. Meanwhile, DoD is pushing for reform of export controls, which have frequently constrained the ability of dual-use technologies such as GPS equipment and expertise to be exported profitably and in a timely manner.
By Inside GNSS
A Boeing technician works on a GPS IIF satellites moving through the “pulse line” at the company’s Satellite Development Center in El Segundo, California. Boeing photo (UPDATED May 25) The next launch attempt of the first GPS IIF space vehicle (SV1) has been tentatively set at Cape Canaveral for Thursday, May 27, when the launch window will be 11-11:19 p.m. EDT.
Originally scheduled for May 20, the launch was delayed several times. The fourth launch attempt was scrubbed Sunday night.
By Inside GNSS
GPS IIF-SVN1: Still Waiting. United Launch Alliance photoThe third time wasn’t the charm for an attempted first launch of a GPS follow-on (Block IIF) generation of satellites.
Problems with ground support equipment and then with the telemetry signal between the spacecraft and the ground equipment have delayed initial launch of the new-generation satellite three times in the last four days.
Originally scheduled for May 20, the launch was postponed again on May 21 and May 23. Mission controllers hope to get the IIF off the ground on May 24.
By Inside GNSS
