Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
NovAtel Inc. has submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding Ligado Networks LLC’s (formerly New LightSquared LLC) License Modification Applications in which the company raises deep concerns about the testing methodology used and conclusions presented by Ligado regarding the impact of their proposed usage of L-band frequencies for a terrestrial wireless network.
By Inside GNSSSo, if everything had gone as planned, we would have a new ground control segment (OCX) operating a new generation of satellites (GPS III) as they launch into an expanded constellation in support of modernized military GPS user equipment (MGUE).
But then the best-laid plans. . . .
By Inside GNSS
Advanced military receivers using the sort of modern multi-channel, multi-constellation capabilities already available commercially, could enable the Air Force to focus its anti-jam efforts on the ground, simplifying future GPS satellites and lowering their cost. Moreover, experts told Inside GNSS, the cutting-edge receivers could be deployed years before the anti-jam capability planned for the new GPS III satellites would be fully available.
By Dee Ann Divis
GNSS signals are vulnerable to interference due to being extremely weak when received on Earth’s surface. Therefore, even a low-power interference signal can easily disrupt the operation of commercial GNSS receivers within a range of several kilometers.
By Inside GNSS
Brig. Gen. Stephen Whiting
The 56th meeting of the Civil GPS Service Interface Committee (CGSIC) will convene at the Portland Convention Center in Portland, Oregon in conjunction with the Institute of Navigation’s GNSS+ conference. The annual meeting is always free and open to the public.
The Senate Armed Services Committee zeroed out the Pentagon’s $393 funding request for the new GPS ground control system during its May 11 markup, asserting that the program’s cost overruns — with a total cost that may reach $5.3 billion, up from an original $1.5 billion — had breached the Nunn-McCurdy Act.
Under the act, such a breach could result in termination of the Next Generation Operational Control System or OCX unless the Secretary of Defense goes through an in-depth review of the program and personally certifies its critical importance.
By Inside GNSS
The seeming efficiency of having unmanned aircraft carry the same GNSS-based collision avoidance transmitters required for manned aircraft has generated a lot of interest as a possibly safe way to easily integrate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into the nation’s air traffic control system.
By Inside GNSS
Mayflower NavAssure 125Mayflower Communications Company, Inc., has been awarded a Phase III SGUE (small GPS user equipment) contract with the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), sponsored by the Space and Missile Systems Center/GPS Directorate (SMC/GPSD), to develop a small SWaP (size, weight, and power) security certifiable Common GPS Module (CGM) for the Air Force’s Modernized GPS User Equipment (MGUE) Program.
By Inside GNSS
Gaylord National Resort and Convention CenterThe National Space-based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Advisory Board is comprised of experts from outside government that are tasked with developing recommendations for the PNT EXCOM to consider in making GPS services more effective and accessible to users in all domains and sectors. Attendance is open to the public.
By Inside GNSS
The USAF Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) announced today (May 5, 2016) the award of three contracts to support companies in preparing for the competition to build additional GPS Block III space vehicles (SVs).
The SMC’s GPS Directorate at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, will award one GPS III Phase 1 Production Readiness Feasibility Assessment contract to each of the following companies: Boeing Network and Space Systems, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, and Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems.
By Inside GNSS
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is officially asking for feedback on a proposal by Ligado Networks to repurpose frequencies near the GPS band for a terrestrial broadband network. The long-delayed public notice and comment period is a step in the approval process, although there is no assurance that Ligado’s plan for a new wireless service — which may still cause interference to GPS receivers — will get the go-ahead.
By Dee Ann Divis
The Air Force announced today (April 27, 2016) the award to Space Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) of an $82.7-million contract for GPS III Launch Services.
The Air Force characterized the contract as “the first competitively sourced National Security Space (NSS) launch services contract in more than a decade.” However, a decision last November by the United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed, not to compete for this GPS III launch effectively left SpaceX as the only bidder.
By Inside GNSS
John Garamendi[Updated April 29, 2016] A key lawmaker is pressing the Department of Defense (DoD) about its lack of support for a plan it helped devised to protect the US from the consequences of losing GPS service.
By Inside GNSS
