Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
China will build a testing and certification network for its BeiDou satellite navigation system over the next three years as part of an effort to make the GNSS system more competitive globally.
By Inside GNSS
L-3 Interstate Electronics Corporation (IEC) will conduct an operational demonstration of its new TruTrak Evolution (TTE) Type II Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) GPS receiver at AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America 2012 conference taking place this week (August 6–9, 2012) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The demonstration will highlight the new TruTrak receiver’s multi-use capabilities as a high-performing Ground-Based GPS Receiver Applications Module (GB-GRAM) for use on UAS platforms and precision weapons.
By Inside GNSS
A third Galileo in-orbit validation (IOV) satellite reached its launch site in French Guiana today (August 7, 2012), where it will undergo preparations for a launch in October.
The spacecraft along with the fourth and final IOV satellite (yet to shipped) will be launched aboard a Soyuz ST-B rocket, joining the first two Galileo satellites placed in orbit last year.
Illustration of Cascadia Subduction zone, which lies about 50 miles off the Pacific Northwest and Northern California coast.The CGSIC States and Local Government Subcommittee will hold an all-day meeting on August 14 in Seattle, Washington at 700 Fifth Avenue, Room 4050.
CGSIC meetings concern the U.S. GPS program and are free and open to the public.
By Inside GNSS
Trimble AP20-C GNSS/inertial OEM board with MEMS sensorsTrimble introduced its AP20-C, the latest addition to its AP Series of embedded GNSS-inertial OEM boards, at AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America 2012 Conference and Exhibition today (August 7, 2012).
Incorporating a compact, custom-built inertial measurement unit (IMU) based on commercial micro-electromechanical mechnical system (MEMS) sensors, the AP20-C enables system integrators to achieve high-rate position and orientation measurements with exceptional accuracy, according to the company.
By Inside GNSS
A congressional committee overseeing activities at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appears poised to push the agency into a more substantive role in overseeing the use of drones in the United States — a move that could force DHS to move more forcefully to protect GPS users from spoofing.
The Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigation and Management within the House Homeland Security Committee is looking to DHS to manage the civil use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones.
By Dee Ann Divis
Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0Both Congress and the Pentagon are putting money on the table to bridge the gap created by delays in the development of the new GPS ground system.
As Inside GNSS first reported earlier this year the Next Generation Operational Control System, or OCX, is running roughly two years behind schedule. It had been expected to be delivered in 2015, however, General William L. Shelton, the commander of Air Force Space Command, said this spring that OCX would be delayed until 2016 or 2017.
By Inside GNSS
In 2003, China committed to investing €200 million (US$270 million) for the privilege of participating in the development of Europe’s Galileo program. But by 2007 it had been forced out of major decision-making because of security concerns and the collapse of the original financing plan for the program, which was to include public and private money.
By Peter Gutierrez
Tim Farrar, TMF AssociatesWhile members of the GPS community are pushing to formally end the threat of signal interference from LightSquared’s proposed wireless network, the political realities of an election year suggest they will have to wait for a decision.
“There are not a lot of reasons to rush,” said Tim Farrar of TMF Associates, a consulting firm that closely follows mobile communications industry, adding it was “unlikely” there would be any progress ahead of the vote in November.
By Dee Ann Divis
University of Texas–Austin droneIn June a research team from the University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin) demonstrated for the first time that a civilian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can be commandeered in mid-flight by a civil GPS spoofing attack. The result will likely factor into the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) plans to draw up rules for integrating UAVs into U.S. airspace by 2015.
By Inside GNSS
Peter Luff, UK Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology (Image from Peter Luff’s MP website)The U.S. visit of a high-level official from the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) is spurring efforts to settle a dispute over a patent that could drive up prices on satellite navigation receivers for users around the world.
By Dee Ann Divis
Galileo IOV’s Composite Binary Offset Carrier (CBOC) modulation on E1 Open Service signal, courtesy of ESA Off-line Analysis SIS SoftwareThe first two Galileo in-orbit validation (IOV) satellites in space have achieved a new milestone, transmitting dummy signals in a modulation scheme designed to allow full interoperability with GPS once operational services start.
“This is an advanced modulation technique that offers robust protection against signal interference and the misleading signal reflections known as ‘multipath’,” said Marco Falcone, Head of Galileo System Services.
By Inside GNSS
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) signed a €80 million (US$98 million) contract today (July 11, 2012) with OHB System AG to build a further eight navigation payloads for full operational capability (FOC) Galileo satellites.
Under the contract, SSTL will deliver the second batch of FOC space vehicles (SVs), continuing a successful cooperation between the two companies to build the first 14 satellites under the supervision of the European Space Agency (ESA).
By Inside GNSS
