A: System Categories

March 31, 2015

China Launches New-Generation BeiDou Satellite

A Long March-3C rocket carrying a new-generation satellite for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwest China’s Sichuan Province, March 30, 2015. Xinhua photo by Bai Yu

China’s Xinhua news agency has announced the launch a new-generation BeiDou satellite at 9:52 p.m. Beijing time yesterday (March 30, 2015).

This is the first of five next-generation BeiDou spacecraft that China will launch this year, Jianyun Chen, a deputy director of the China Satellite Navigation Office (CSNO), told a Munich Satellite Navigation Summit last week.

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By Inside GNSS
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Coast Guard’s New Cybersecurity Strategy Encompasses GPS

The Coast Guard is poised to release a new cybersecurity strategy that includes a resilient position and navigation capability.

The new strategy, which is reportedly due to be announced any day, was previewed by Vice Adm. Charles Michel, the Coast Guards’ deputy commandant for operations, at a maritime cyber security conference in early March.

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By Inside GNSS

Bipartisan Bill Would Force Creation of GPS Backup

Four leading lawmakers, apparently impatient with the Obama Administration’s less-than-urgent approach to assuring availability of critical navigation and timing resources, have sponsored a bill mandating the Department of Defense institute a backup for the Global Positioning System.

If approved, the National Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Resilience and Security Act of 2015 (H.R. 1678) would give the U.S. secretary of defense three years to establish, an alternative, land-based source for positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) data.

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By Inside GNSS
March 28, 2015

Indian Launches Fourth IRNSS Spacecraft

The fourth satellite of Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, IRNSS-1D, was launched toward its intended geosynchronous orbit (GSO) today (Saturday, March 28, 2015) onboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C27).

Seven satellites will comprise the IRNSS constellation being developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to provide navigational services. IRNSS will help augment the satellite-based navigation system of India, which is currently under development and will provide navigation, tracking, and mapping services to the South Asia region.

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By Inside GNSS

Successful Galileo FOC Launch Brings Relief to Europe’s GNSS Program

European space officials and engineering teams heaved a collective sigh of relief as the second attempt to launch a pair of full operational capability (FOC) Galileo satellites appears to have succeeded yesterday (March 27, 2015).

The EU’s Galileo satellite navigation system now has eight satellites in orbit, including four in-orbit validation (IOV) satellites launched in 2011 and 2012 and the first two FOC spacecraft placed into an anomalous orbit last August.

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By Inside GNSS
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March 25, 2015

GSA’s GNSS Market Report #4: The Most Thorough Yet

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) unveiled its latest GNSS Market Report today (March 25, 2015) at the Munich Satellite Navigation Summit in Germany.

The fourth and most comprehensive in a series of GSA studies, the 80-page report describes current and projected GNSS receiver sales by volume and value and highlights market opportunities, technology trends, and future developments of GNSS.

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By Inside GNSS

U.S. Air Force Gets Another GPS Satellite into Space

The United Launch Alliance successfully launched another U.S. Air Force GPS Block IIF satellite at 2:36 p.m. EDT today (March 25, 2015) from Cape Canaveral on board a Delta IV rocket.

The Air Force Second Space Operations Squadron (2 SOPS) indicates that IIF-9 (identified by space vehicle and pseudorandom noise code, respectively, as SVN-71/PRN-26) will replace SVN-35 (currently being operated in Launch, Anomaly Resolution and Disposal Operations or LADO status) in the B plane slot 1F.

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By Inside GNSS

KCS TraceME RF Positioning Enhancement Targets IoT Apps

TraceME with LoRa module

KCS BV, based in Dordrecht, Netherlands, has extended its TraceME product line with an advanced module, targeted for worldwide mobility in the Internet of Things  (IoT) era.

The latest development of the TraceME GPS/GPRS Track and Trace module will incorporate an RF location–based positioning solution with LoRa technology. According to the company, this combination enables “smart objects” to become even smarter, because LoRa enables long-range, battery-friendly communication in a wide variety of machine-to-machine (M2M) applications.

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By Inside GNSS
March 22, 2015

u-blox Announces Profit, Revenue Advances in 2014

Thalwil, Switzerland–based u-blox reported revenue and profit growth in its most recent annual report, driven by strong sales in its GNSS and wireless chipset and module business.
 
Consolidated revenue was CHF270 million (US$276.7 million) in 2014, a growth of nearly 23 percent compared to 2013 while net profit increased by 39.6 percent to CHF34.4 million (US$35.2 million), representing a 12.7 percent net profit margin for the year.
 

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By Inside GNSS
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