A: System Categories

Equipment Problem Delays First GPS IIF Launch
May 19, 2010

Equipment Problem Delays First GPS IIF Launch

Boeing technicians examine the first GPS IIF satellite as it underwent final preparations for its February shipment to Cape Canaveral. Boeing photo

A ground equipment problem has caused a 24-hour delay in launch of the first GPS IIF satellite (GPS IIF-SV1).

Originally scheduled for late May 20, the launch attempt has been reslotted to a May 21 launch window of 11:25 to 11:43 p.m. (EDT)

During normal processing for the launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, mission managers determined that a piece of ground support equipment used to control one of the swing arms on the fixed umbilical tower was not operating correctly and needed replacing.

Replacing the GSE component will add one day to launch processing, according to the United Launch Alliance managers. This will be the first launch of a GPS satellite on the Boeing Delta IV rocket.

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By Inside GNSS
NovAtel Inc. Announces New OEMStar Models, New SPAN IMU
May 15, 2010

NovAtel Inc. Announces New OEMStar Models, New SPAN IMU

SPANS IMU-LCI integrated GNSS/Inertial

Canadian GNSS OEM manufacturer NovAtel Inc. has introduced five new models to its low cost, L1 OEMStar receiver card product line and four new models to the OEMStar-supported FlexPak-G2 enclosure product line. The Calgary, Alberta–based company has also added a new inertial measurement unit (IMU) option to its SPAN (Synchronous Position, Attitude and Navigation) GNSS/inertial product line.

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By Inside GNSS
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GSA Seeks New Leadership
April 20, 2010

GSA Seeks New Leadership

Pedro Pedreira

The European Commission (EC) is recruiting for an executive director of the Galileo Supervisory Agency (GSA), the new designation of the European GNSS Supervisory Authority. Deadline for applications is May 21.

The GSA’s current mission is to assist in the further implementation of the European GNSS Programs, composed of Galileo and the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS). Details for applying for the position can be found online at <www.gsa.europa.eu/go/gsa/careers>.

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By Inside GNSS
U.S. Air Force Prepares First IIF GPS Satellite for Launch on May 21
April 19, 2010

U.S. Air Force Prepares First IIF GPS Satellite for Launch on May 21

A launch pad at Cape Canaveral (satellite image courtesy of GeoEye)

Launch of the first GPS Block IIF (follow-on) satellite is currently scheduled for May 21 from Cape Canaveral aboard a Delta-IV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV), with a destination in the constellation’s B2 plane and slot.

The IIF-1 SV (space vehicle) is at the launch site and fueled. A final IIF launch mission dress rehearsal (MDR) was scheduled to take place during the weeks of April  26 to May 7.

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By Inside GNSS
GAGAN Delayed Again
April 17, 2010

GAGAN Delayed Again

ISRO GSAT-4 satellite

India’s first GPS/SBAS payload, the GAGAN (GPS-Aided Geo-Augmented Navigation system) transmitter on the GSAT-4 geostationary satellite, disappeared into the Bay of Bengal on April 15 when its ill-fated GSLV-D3 launch vehicle veered off course.

The Indian Space Research Organization’s GSAT-4 satellite carried a communication payload of multi-beam Ka-band pipe and regenerative transponder and a navigation payload in C, L1 and L5 bands.

A key part of India’s GPS augmentation plan, the failure will further delay civil aviation modernization.

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By Inside GNSS
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EC Liberates Galileo ICD Signal Specification
April 14, 2010

EC Liberates Galileo ICD Signal Specification

Today’s (April 13) release of an updated “Galileo Open Service Signal-In-Space Interface Control Document” (OS SIS ICD) freed the key specification document in two senses of the word: receiver manufacturers, application developers and service providers may now use the ICD as an official — not draft — guide to their work, and they may do so at no cost

The t’s have been crossed and the i’s dotted to the satisfaction of lawyers and politicians — and the relief of designers and system integrators eager to begin work on Galileo-capable products without fear of having substantive changes in the specifications and legal or financial difficulties for moving ahead.

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By Inside GNSS
FAA Predicts Erosion of GPS WAAS Service Due to Intelsat GEO Failure

FAA Predicts Erosion of GPS WAAS Service Due to Intelsat GEO Failure

Galaxy 15 satellite under construction. Orbital Sciences photo

[updated April 13] Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials say that loss of control over an Intelsat geostationary (GEO) carrying a GPS Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) transponder could subject users in the National Air Space (NAS) to temporary outages for the rest of this year, beginning within the next two to four weeks as the GEO drifts out of a useable orbit.

Intelsat S.A. announced the anomaly in Galaxy 15 (G-15) on April 8. Although the communications services provided by G-15, located at 133 degrees west longitude (WL), have not been affected, according to Intelsat, the satellite apparently is not responding to commands by controllers. The anomalous condition began on April 3, according to the FAA.

The Luxembourg-based Intelsat is moving an older spacecraft (G-12) that serves as a backup for G-15 from its location at 123 degrees WL. However, G-12 does not have an L-band transponder, which is needed for WAAS transmissions.

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By Inside GNSS
GPS Partnership Council Meeting 2010

GPS Partnership Council Meeting 2010

The tenth GPS Partnership Council meeting will take place at the Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, on May 4 and 5, 2010.

The theme is "Advancing PNT Changes Today…Securing the World’s Needs Tomorrow." Conference sessions will take place at the Gordon Conference Center (Building 270).

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By Inside GNSS
U.S. Invites Comments for Easing GPS SVN49 Signal Anomaly
April 10, 2010

U.S. Invites Comments for Easing GPS SVN49 Signal Anomaly

(This article first appeared in the March 31 Inside GNSS SIGNALS eNewsletter)

The GPS Wing is in the middle of a yearlong process designed to sort out the trade-offs among a set of at least nine options that may be undertaken to reduce the effects of a signal anomaly on the GPS satellite known as SVN49.

In a March 26 teleconference, the first of two scheduled to discuss the options, Lt. Col. James Lake, the wing’s deputy chief engineer, emphasized that some of the options could well improve the performance of some receivers while decreasing that of others.

He underlined the Air Force’s concern that receivers that don’t conform to the specification for GPS space segment/navigation user interfaces (IS-GPS-200) "greatly complicate the issue."

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By Inside GNSS
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