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Second Pair of Galileo IOV Navigation Satellites Takes Off Successfully
October 12, 2012

Second Pair of Galileo IOV Navigation Satellites Takes Off Successfully

A Soyuz rocket lifts off from Europe’s spaceport in French Guinana on its mission to place the second pair of Galileo in-orbit validation satellites into orbit. ESA photo by S. Corvaja.

[Updated October 26, 2012] A Soyuz ST-B launcher carrying two Galileo in-orbit validation (IOV) satellites took off as scheduled at 18:15 GMT (20:15 CEST; 2:15 p.m. EDT) on October 12 from the European Spaceport in French Guiana.

All the stages of the Soyuz vehicle performed as planned and the Fregat-MT upper stage released the Galileo satellites into their targeted orbit close to 23,200 kilometer altitude, three hours 45 minutes after liftoff.

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By Inside GNSS
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Galileo Satellites Readied for Friday Launch
October 9, 2012

Galileo Satellites Readied for Friday Launch

Galileo IOV satellites attached to their launch dispenser and encapsulated beneath the fairing of their Soyuz ST-B launcher. ESA graphic by P. Carril

[Updated October 11, 2012] The next two Galileo satellites have been cleared for launch on Friday (October 12, 2012), a couple days later than originally planned.

Follow the Galileo IOV launch live online here.

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By Inside GNSS
GPS IIF Launch Adds to Constellation
October 5, 2012

GPS IIF Launch Adds to Constellation

A third GPS Block IIF satellite launched successfully on Thursday (October 4, 2012) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida — the first GPS launch of the year. The spacecraft was carried aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Launch Vehicle

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By Inside GNSS
LightSquared, FCC Appear to Align on GPS Receiver Standards in Continuing Spectrum Battle
September 29, 2012

LightSquared, FCC Appear to Align on GPS Receiver Standards in Continuing Spectrum Battle

In one of three separate filings on Friday (September 28, 2012) would-be broadband provider LightSquared asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to set “operating parameters” leading to “revised technical rules” to enable it to operate in the lower of the two frequency bands where tests last year showed its operations would interfere with GPS.

Those rules and parameters should, the filing intimated, include standards for GPS receivers.

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By Dee Ann Divis
The Fallout from GPS vs. LightSquared
September 28, 2012

The Fallout from GPS vs. LightSquared

With the debacle surrounding LightSquared’s now-stymied proposal still reverberating through Washington, federal agencies are studying ways to repurpose the spectrum adjacent to the satellite navigation frequencies without causing debilitating interference to GPS receivers.

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By Dee Ann Divis
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NextGen Equipage Fund Takes Off While FAA Works to Cut Program Delays, Cost Overruns
September 21, 2012

NextGen Equipage Fund Takes Off While FAA Works to Cut Program Delays, Cost Overruns

Future of air traffic control (FAA image)

A public-private partnership created to reduce the financial burden involved in implementing the nation’s GPS-based, next-generation (NextGen) air transportation system has raised its first rounds of financing and is now negotiating contracts with its charter customers.

“We have  . . . closed our first tranche of equity,” said Jim Hughey, senior vice-president of the NextGen Equipage Fund. The fund has secured a total of $100 million in commitments with some $40 million of that coming from leading aerospace companies.

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By Dee Ann Divis
What’s Happening at ION GNSS 2012
September 20, 2012

What’s Happening at ION GNSS 2012

ION GNSS 2012 ienjoyed clear skies and warm temperatures at the Nashville Convention Center in Tennessee. The U.S. Institute of Navigation-sponsored venerable conference closed on Friday, September 21. 

Thursday’s workshops featured expanded discussion on China’s Compass/Beidou-2 and Europe’s  Galileo. Two more Beidou MEO satellites were launched during the conference for a total of 15. Meanwhile, Europe plans an October 10 launch that will bring the total to four. Speakers "guaranteed a 30 satellite constellation by 2020."

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By Inside GNSS
China Launches Two More Compass/BeiDou-2 Spacecraft
September 19, 2012

China Launches Two More Compass/BeiDou-2 Spacecraft

China successfully launched another two Compass/BeiDou satellites into space at 3:10 a.m. Beijing time on Wednesday (September 19, 2012), according to the Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

They were the 14th and 15th satellites for the nation’s GNSS system, and presumably the fourth and fifth middle-Earth-orbiting (MEO) satellites in the constellation. The satellites, launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, were boosted by a Long March-3B carrier rocket.

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By Inside GNSS
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