Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
Officials from Air Force Space Command’s Space and Missile Systems Center’s GPS Wing have announced the release of a request for proposal (RFP) for Phase B of the Next Generation GPS Control Segment (OCX) contracts.
By Inside GNSS
In his April 27 speech to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) annual meeting, President Barack Obama twice singled out the Global Positioning System as an example of the need for renewing the U.S. commitment to basic scientific research and education.
“The calculations of today’s GPS satellites are based on the equations that Einstein put to paper more than a century ago,” Obama said, having noted that “no one can predict what new applications will be born of basic research. . . .”
By Inside GNSS
Ekahau Inc. has announced that its Wi-Fi location tracking software is being integrated into GPS receivers designed by NavSync Ltd. to enable customers to continuously track asset in indoor and outdoor environments.
Wi-Fi–enabled GPS tag combines NavSync’s NavTrac GPS module with Ekahau’s location protocol. The NavTrac module incorporates the CW85 16-channel GPS receiver/802.11b/g transmitter combination.
By Inside GNSS
Loctronix SCP technology[Updated 4/26/09] On March 31, the U.S. Patent Office granted Loctronix Corporation its first patent, which will provide the foundation for its Spectral Compression Positioning (SCP) technology that enables multi-source positioning capability in a single sensor. Subsequently, the company announced that it had successfully achieved meter-level ranging performance using CDMA cellular signals.
By Inside GNSS
SVN49 L1 C/A (red) and L5 Signals. Septentrio image.Septentrio reports success in tracking five signals being transmitted from the modernized GPS Block IIR satellite with the L5 demonstration payload launched on March 24.
Now designated space vehicle number 49 (SVN49), the satellite began broadcasting in the L1 and L2 band on March 28, shortly after the spacecraft reached its quasi-circular middle earth sorbit.
By Inside GNSS
Prompted by a congressional footnote in the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act signed into law last month, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is soliciting public comment on American industry’s access to the Galileo program and related markets.
By Inside GNSS
Alliant Techsystems has named Major General U.S. Air Force (Ret.) James B. Armor Jr., a former director of the NAVSTAR GPS Joint Program Office (GPS JPO, now the GPS Wing), as vice-president of strategy and business development for spacecraft systems and engineering services for the company’s Space Systems unit.
By Inside GNSS
Hemisphere GPS has introduced a new GPS antenna, the A21, designed to reduce the effects of interference from radios, transmitters, and other peripheral electronic equipment.
By Inside GNSS
Time Series and Power Spectrum of the L5 Demonstration SignalThe GPS IIR-20(M) satellite successfully transmitted for the first time a GPS signal in the L5 frequency band today (April 10), according to the U.S. Air Force operators of the Global Positioning System. L5, the third civil GPS signal, will eventually support safety-of-life applications for aviation and provide improved availability and accuracy to users.
By Inside GNSS
Stanford “Big Dish” AntennaU.S. Air Force officials are moving quickly to turn on the new civil GPS L5 signal after lengthy delays due to technical problems had brought the program close to an International Telecommunications Union (ITU) deadline for transmitting on the frequency.
The Air Force plans to begin transmitting the signal at 5 a.m. (PDT) on April 10 using the Block II R-20(M) satellite launched March 24. An L5 signal demonstration is planned the same day, organized by the GPS Wing and SRI International. The L5 spectrum will be received and plotted at the SRI’s 150-foot “big dish” antenna facility in the hills over looking Stanford University, California.
By Inside GNSS
John RistevskiPrivacy rebellions such as recently drove a Google Street View crew from Broughton, England, or security-oriented legislation that would require blurred features or position accuracy in commercial imagery is just part of the market environment for 3-D mapping company earthmine, Inc., which is moving out of beta mode into full-fledged operations.
By Inside GNSS
NavCom Technology Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Deere & Company, and Astrium Services have formed a strategic partnership to deliver precise positioning solutions throughout Europe.
By Inside GNSS
CAST Navigation LLC is relocating to expanded facilities as a result of increased demand for the company’s GPS simulators, GPS/INS navigation test equipment, and embedded GPS/inertial (EGI) integration tools.
Effective April 20, the new physical location for the CAST Navigation team will be: One Highwood Drive, Suite 100, Tewksbury, MA 01876. Phone contact is 978-858-0130. Faxes may be sent to 978-858-0170; website, <www.castnav.com>.
By Inside GNSS
