Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
Martyn Thomas, RAE GNSS Study Group ChairmanRelease of a British Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) report today (March 8, 2011) adds another chapter to the growing chronicle of GNSS vulnerability — concluding that the integrity of GNSS is insufficient for safety-of-life applications.
By Inside GNSS
Despite the fact that China’s rapidly developing global navigation satellite system now has seven spacecraft in orbit intermittently broadcasting test signals, it is the only GNSS provider that has not yet published a draft version of its interface control document (ICD), although one has reportedly been completed for more than a year.
Against that background, any new source of information about the directions of the Compass design — official, semi-official, or other — draws special attention.
By Inside GNSS
Photo: Wikimedia CommonsAttorneys for LightSquared Subsidiary LLC submitted a proposed work plan on Friday (February 25, 2011) for analyzing potential interference to GPS devices. The plan, required by the FCC as a condition of its granting a waiver to its Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC) rule for mobile satellite services (MSS), proposes to establish a working group (WG) to study the GPS overload/desensitization.
By Inside GNSS
Space and Missile Systems Center (LA AFB photo)The 11th GPS Partnership Council meeting will take place on May 3 and 4, 2011 at the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) at Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, California. It is located about four miles south of the Los Angeles Airport.
These military and industry networking meetings are sponsored by the Los Angeles chapter of AFCEA (Armed Forces Communications Electronics Association) and the USAF GPS Wing.
This year’s theme is T "Executing Modernization… Enabling New Paths and Beyond."
By Inside GNSS
The first new-generation satellite GLONASS-K of the GLONASS navigation system has reached its targeted orbit, the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) announced today (February 26, 2011).
The Soyuz-2.1b rocket lifted off from Plesetsk cosmodrome at 6:07 a.m. (Moscow time) this morning. The GLONASS-K spacecraft was carried into its planned orbit by a Fregat booster at 9:41 a.m. Moscow time, according to Roscosmos public affairs office, which reported that the satellite separated from the booster as planned.
By Inside GNSS
The first two of four Galileo In-Orbit Validation satellites are due for launch in August 2011. ESA illustrationEurope’s GNSS system is still six months away from first launch of its in-orbit validation (IOV) spacecraft, but one Galileo satellite has already been put through its paces, taking center stage in a Europe-wide exercise conducted recently by the European Space Agency (ESA).
The satellite in question never left the confines of its Thales Alenia Space (TAS) integration facility in Rome, Italy, but was connected to a distant trio of control centers during the nine-day System Compatibility Test Campaign (SCTC-1), which began on January 25.
By Inside GNSS
Lt. Gen. Oleg OstapenkoRussian Space Forces Commander Lieutenant General Oleg Ostapenko said today (Friday, January 25) that launch of the first GLONASS-K launch satellite has been rescheduled for Saturday, February 26, at 6:07 a.m. Moscow time.
By Inside GNSS
Home Page of New IAC WebsiteThe Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) has launched a new version of its Information-Analytical Center (IAC) website, probably the best-known and most-used source for real-time information on the GLONASS constellation.
Currently operating in test mode, the site may be accessed at <http://new.glonass-iac.ru/en/index.php>. Among the new features of the IAC website are an interactive access to the GLONASS ftp-archive (the “Archive” section) and a new section with reference information (the “Guide”).
By Inside GNSS
Launch of the first GLONASS-K satellite, scheduled to take place this morning (6:15 a.m., Moscow time, February 24), has been postponed for 24 hours, according to the Russian state news agency, RIA Novosti.
A spokesman for the Russian Space Defense Forces attributed the delay to "technical reasons." A news report by the PRIME-TASS news agency, citing a space industry source, said the failure involved a piece of the launch vehicle’s control system equipment.
By Inside GNSS
Website at http://www.jammer-store.com/gps-blockers-jammers.htmlThe Enforcement Bureau of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has announced new efforts to clamp down on the marketing, sale, and use of illegal cell phone and GPS jamming devices.
On February 9, the Bureau released two enforcement advisories and a downloadable poster on cell phone and GPS jamming that warn consumers, manufacturers, and retailers (including online and Web-only companies) that the marketing, sale, or use of such jamming devices is illegal.
By Inside GNSS
H102 GPS CompassHemisphere GPS has announced an OEM alliance with a Chinese manufacturer of agricultural, construction, and power machinery equipment as well as the release of two compact GPS compass products.
The Calgary, Alberta, Canada–based company’s alliance with YTO Group Corporation, headquartered in Luoyang City, China, is part of Hemisphere GPS’s to expand its operations in the international realm.
By Inside GNSS
NovAtel SMART-MR15NovAtel Inc. has released its new SMART-MR15 product, a dual-frequency receiver/antenna combination with an integrated cellular modem.
By Inside GNSS
