A: System Categories

Tracking IRNSS Satellites

Figure 2: Sky plot showing position of IRNSS and GPS satellites over Helsinki Finland on November 6, 2014 at 16:10 local time.

The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)] is designed as a stand-alone regional navigation system with a primary service area extending up to 1,500 kilometers from the Indian land mass. Finland lies north of 60°N latitude more than 5,000 kilometers away from India, as shown in Figure 1 (see photo at the top of this article).

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By Inside GNSS

Higher Aspirations for GNSS

GPS Space Service Volume (SSV) Requirements/Performance Parameters

New space missions such as the robotic repair and recovery of damaged or errant communication satellites may become possible with the aid of an emerging class of receivers that is able to use GPS signals for navigation in orbits thousands of kilometers above the middle Earth orbit (MEO) GPS constellation itself.

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By Dee Ann Divis

EU and Russia: Lost in Space?

Russia’s involvement in the Ukraine crisis has turned much of public opinion in the West against that country, in particular souring the relationship between the European Union (EU) and Russia. And, while the ceasefire signed in September technically is still in force, the EU-Russia rift is far from smoothed over.

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By Peter Gutierrez
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November 14, 2014

First GPS III Launch Slips to FY17

GPS III core structure at Lockheed Martin facility. Lockheed Martin photo

The launch of the first GPS III satellite could slip to as late as March 2017, further delaying a modernization program that already has been pushed back repeatedly by budget cuts and technical problems.

“The first GPS III launch is tentatively considered for the first half of FY17, based on booster availability and Air Force launch priorities,” a spokesman for the Space and Missile Systems Center told Inside GNSS.

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By Inside GNSS

Topcon Engineers Track New GLONASS Signal

Implementation of code-Phase structures for GLONASS signals ?/?, L2C and L3

Topcon Positioning Group has announced that its latest GNSS reference receiver has tracked a new signal from the GLONASS constellation.

The GLONASS-M 55 satellite was launched in June and is equipped
with an experimental payload capable of transmitting CDMA signals in the
Russian GNSS system’s L3 frequency band centered at 1202.025 MHz. According to the company, Topcon engineers successfully tracked the signal using the NET-G5
receiver during a series of recent tests at the Topcon Technology Center
in Moscow, Russia.

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By Inside GNSS
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November 10, 2014

ESA Will Attempt to Improve Orbits of Errant Galileo Satellites

The European Space Agency (ESA) announced plans today (November 10, 2014) to implement a series of maneuvers to reposition one of two Galileo full operational capability (FOC) satellites left in the wrong orbit this summer, as a prelude to its health being confirmed.
 
The aim is to raise the lowest point of the satellite’s orbit — its perigee — to reduce the radiation exposure from the Van Allen radiation belts surrounding Earth, as well as to put it into a more useful orbit for navigation purposes.
 

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By Inside GNSS
November 6, 2014

Tallysman Launches Smart GPS-GLONASS Antenna

Tallysman has introduced the TW5340 “smart” antenna that pairs Tallysman‘s Accutenna technology with STMicroelectronics’ Teseo II GNSS receiver.

The TW5340 is a multi-constellation GNSS antenna that provides simultaneous GPS/GLONASS/SBAS reception and is designed for use in professional grade applications such as precision timing, network synchronization, or low-current  and tracking/positioning applications.

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By Inside GNSS

Airbus GNSS Engineers Win Top ESNC 2014 Prize

The European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) has gone Big Time.

Unlike past years, when product designers and engineers from small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) have walked away with the top prize, this year’s overall winner was Airbus Defence & Space (Airbus DS GmbH), a division of the Airbus Group (formerly EADS). Headquartered in France and generating annual revenues of €14 billion, Airbus DS was established last year by the merger of the parent company’s Airbus Military, Astrium, and Cassidian units.

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By Inside GNSS
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