Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
Unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs comprise a category of aircraft that fly without a human operator onboard. They are more popularly referred to by the misleading moniker “drones,” which masks the wide variety in their design and capability.
By Inside GNSS
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy Douglas LoverroThe head of Air Force Space Command (AFSC) told lawmakers today (March 12, 2014) that the GPS system could be put at risk by what appears to be a new anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon being developed by China.
“The November 2013 U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission (report) raises concerns about China’s efforts to militarize space and develop an anti-satellite weapon capability,” Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, ranking member on Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, told hearing attendees.
By Inside GNSS
A number of user conferences for customers of Hexagon AB’s precise measurement brands and products will be combined in the Swedish corporation’s fourth international conference this summer.
It will take place at MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada from June 2 through June 5, 2014.
Registration is now open. Early bird rates end April 25, 2014.
By Inside GNSS
The Air Force is slowing GPS modernization and dropping part of the funding for dual launch of satellites, said defense officials describing the President’s Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15) budget on Wednesday (March 5, 2014).
Air Force Undersecretary Eric Fanning said the Air Force would continue to “honor our investments and obligations” regarding the Global Positioning System but would “reprofile” the GPS III program so that it meets constellation sustainment demands.
By Inside GNSS
Message Type 30: satellite clock data, and corrections for ionospheric and group delay. From IS–GPS–200GIn a Federal Register notice issued today (March 5, 2014), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) invited public comments on U.S. Air Force plans to implement preoperational L2C and L5 civil navigation (CNAV) messages on GPS Block IIR-M and IIF satellites next month.
By Inside GNSS
With the war in Afghanistan winding down and the pressure against federal spending increasing, the Pentagon is reconfiguring itself for leaner peacetime operations and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are among the programs being affected.
By Inside GNSS
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is building a new lab that will support work on securing the use of GPS signals.
“We are currently standing up a smart grid cybersecurity test lab, and one of our future research cases for later in this year or early next year, depending on when we finish building this lab, is GPS security,” said Victoria Pillitteri, an advisor for information system security at NIST, which is under the U.S. Department of Commerce.
By Inside GNSS
Modifications in the battery charging protocol of on-orbit GPS satellites are expected to substantially extend the mission life of the spacecraft — a particularly timely development as technical and financial difficulties have raised doubts about keeping the system’s next-generation Block III satellites on schedule for launch readiness.
By Inside GNSS
Sabine Dannelke, GSA Administrative Board chairperson. Inside GNSS photo by Peter Gutierrez Road transport has always been a key sector for European GNSS, but safety- and security-related applications bring special challenges along with the opportunities. European Union (EU) officials speaking at a conference in Brussels last week explained why.
“Road transport is largest GNSS market opportunity,” said Gian-Gherardo Calini, head of market development at the European GNSS Agency (GSA). “This is 46.2 percent of the current GNSS market. Road transport is the key market.”
By Inside GNSS
Satellite image of Tampa Bay, Florida, USA. The tenth annual GEOINT Symposium and exhibition will take place on April 14-17 2014 at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida.
Registration is now open.
The symposium’s theme is “Operationalizing Intelligence for Global Missions.”
By Inside GNSS
Photo by Ben Cooper, United Launch AllianceThe U. S. Air Force successfully launched the fifth GPS Block IIF satellite yesterday evening (February 20) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
By Inside GNSS
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today (February 20, 2014) proposed rules to help emergency responders better locate wireless callers reporting emergencies.
By Inside GNSS
Lawmakers overseeing the Coast Guard approved language this week that would stop the agency from dismantling facilities needed for eLoran, a proposed system that has gained wide support as a backup in case GPS signals are jammed, blocked, spoofed, or otherwise rendered unusable.
In “markups” or adjustments to language in the FY 2015 Coast Guard authorization bill, a House transportation subcommittee proposes to halt the tearing down of stations in the Coast Guard’s old Loran-C navigation system, which was turned off in 2010.
By Inside GNSS
