A: System Categories

EU’s Galileo and EGNOS Expect 2014-2020 Budget Boost of $9.1 billion

Galileo IOT L-Band antenna at Redu Center in Belgium (ESA photo)

The European GNSS program expects to gain an additional €7 billion (US$9.1 billion) budget for 2014–2020 to support Galileo and the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), a satellite-based augmentation system that currently provides differential corrections to GPS signals, according to Paul Flament, Galileo and EGNOS program manager for the European Commission. He spoke at the 2012 Munich Satellite Navigation Summit that ended on March 15.

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By Inside GNSS

GLONASS Plans 30 Satellites, Complete Augmentation System and Improved OCX by 2020

Sergey Revnivykh, GLONASS program, Roscosmos

GLONASS completed its long trek back to full operational capability with 24 operational satellites in the constellation last December, but Russia intends to keep pushing ahead with its GNSS, said Roscosmos official Sergey Revnivykh at the Munich Satellite Navigation Summit in March.

GLONASS now has a 347 billion ruble (US$11.81 billion) budget approved through 2020, by which time the system is scheduled to have 24 satellites transmitting both the new CDMA and legacy FDMA signals.

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By Inside GNSS
March 29, 2012

Rohde & Schwarz GNSS Simulator Gains P-Code, GLONASS

Rohde & Schwarz SMBV100A vector signal generator/GNSS simulator

Rohde & Schwarz, based in Munich, Germany, has launched two extensions to the GNSS simulator in its SMBV100A vector signal generator: GLONASS and GPS P-code capability.

The SMBV100A already had the capability to generate a range of GPS and Galileo civil signals as well as wireless standards, including GSM/EDGE, 3GPP with HSPA, LTE, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

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By Inside GNSS
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Satellite Development Advances as GPS Survives Budget Cuts, LightSquared

New GPS III Test Chamber (Lockheed Martin photo)

The United States GPS program is without doubt the elder statesman of GNSS, but it has had some close calls recently.

At the 2012 Munich Satellite Navigation Summit in March, a high-level Department of Transportation offical and the head of the Air Force GPS Directorate hailed continuing progress on the Global Positioning System’s third-generation satellite development and next-generation control segment (OCX), while apparently escaping — relatively unscathed — the dual perils of Congressional budget cuts and LightSquared interference.

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By Inside GNSS
March 27, 2012

Galileo GNSS Through Children’s Eyes

Galileo by Irina of Romania

[Updated March 27] We see lots of graphs, schemata, renderings and photographic images of the GNSS satellites and constellations. Perhaps it’s time to rest the eyes with imaginative images of space and satellites through the eyes of children.

Over a number of years, up to 30 of Europe’s Galileo navigation satellites are expected to reach orbit and each of them will be named after a child from one of the 27 European Union countries.

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By Inside GNSS
March 26, 2012

UrsaNav Tests eLoran, LF Timing Potential

UrsaNav LF transmitter site for timing synchronization trials

Virginia-based engineering firm UrsaNav Inc. has begun transmitting a variety of low frequency (LF) test signals, including enhanced Loran (eLORAN), as part of a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).

The test program include a comprehensive palette of signals that are being evaluated for their ability to provide a robust, wide-area, wireless precise timing alternative that can operate cooperatively with GNSS technology or autonomously during GNSS unavailability.

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By Inside GNSS
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March 23, 2012

2012 European Satellite Navigation Competition Opens

The 2012 European Satellite Navigation Competition will accept your idea, innovative service or business plan for GNSS applications beginning April 1.  Submit your idea online at www.galileo-masters.eu through June 30.

This year, the competition is working with 20 partner regions in Europe, Brazil, the Middle East and North Africa.  You do not have to be a resident of the partner regions in order to enter, however you must anticipate basing your business in one of them.

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By Inside GNSS
March 22, 2012

SBIRS Decision Could Undermine Prospects for GPS Dual-Launch

SBIRS GEO-2 satellite in Baseline Integrated System Test (BIST-1). Lockheed Martin photo.

The Air Force is poised to forego putting nuclear detonation detection sensors on the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellites, a decision that could complicate efforts to maintain the GPS system by hampering plans to launch multiple, lighter GPS satellites on a single rocket.

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By Inside GNSS
March 21, 2012

Register Now for the 2012 GPS Partnership Council at Los Angeles AFB in May

GPS Partnership Council golf competition (USAF photo by Joe Juarez)

Registration is open for the 2012 GPS Partnership Council meeting at the USAF Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, on Tuesday, May 1 and Wednesday, May 2.  As always, participants can compete in a golf tournament on an optional third day of networking and camaraderie on Wednesday, May 3.

The registration deadline is April 27.

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By Inside GNSS
March 20, 2012

NAV12 and the Royal Institute of Navigation Request Your Papers, Please

The University Park Hotel under construction next to the East Midlands Conference Centre

The British Royal Institute of Navigation has given prospective authors a May 4 deadline for abstracts for its annual conference, NAV12. The theme this year is "GNSS and Beyond."

Authors have a broad choice of navigation and technology topics from GNSS, eLoran and integrated systems technology to satellite navigation vulnerabilities to jamming and space weather to low-cost consumer apps design.

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By Inside GNSS
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