Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
In response to recent public announcements on the readiness of the BeiDou-2 navigation system and the planned release of the signal Interface Control Document (ICD), Spirent Communications plc has announced support for the Compass Navigation Satellite System (CNSS) on its GSS8000 navigation technology test system.
By Inside GNSS
Russian Soyuz rocket lifts off Europe’s Kourou spaceport pad with first two Galileo IOV satellites on board. ESA photo. Photo: ESA/CNES/ARIANESPACE/Optique Video Du CSGAs the first two operational Galileo satellites enter orbit following this morning’s launch (October 21, 2011), a closely knit team of engineers from the European Space Ageny (ESA) and CNES, France’s space agency, assumed control.
By Inside GNSS
Galileo IOVs being installed inside Soyuz Fregat upper stage. ESA, CNES, Arianespace, Optique Video du CSG, S.MartinA faulty valve that caused a fuel leak has delayed today’s (October 20, 2011) planned launch of the first Galileo in-orbit vehicle (IOV).
Arianespace said the would be postponed until Friday (October 21, 2011) because a problem in a valve used to disconnect the rocket’s fueling system on take-off had led to the disconnection mechanism being triggered ahead of the take-off.
The Soyuz ST-B had moved to its launch pad last week and the Upper Composite containing twin Galileo IOVs placed on top of it.
By Inside GNSS
Galileo IOV satellites attached to their launch dispenser and encapsulated beneath the fairing of their Soyuz ST-B launcher Credit: ESA – P. CarrilLaunch of two Galileo in-orbit validation (IOV) satellites next week will bring Europe’s long-awaited (and much-delayed) GNSS program into a new phase.
Liftoff from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, is scheduled for Thursday, October 20, at 11:34 GMT (7:34 a.m. local time). Progress in the operations and news updates can be viewed online at the European Space Agency website.
By Inside GNSS
L-3 Interstate Electronics Corporation (IEC) unveiled its next generation, military GPS receiver — incorporating a Common GPS Module (CGM) — at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) 2011 Annual Meeting and Exposition currently under way in Washington, D.C.
The company’s first CGM product processes precise code (P-code), coarse/acquisition code (C/A) code, and the modernized military M-code signals. In addition, the new design provides a common security architecture including improved anti-jam and anti-spoof capabilities.
By Inside GNSS
While a representative for a proposed broadband network assured attendees at a recent satellite navigation meeting that their telecom system could co-exist with the Global Positioning System, a panel of GPS experts raised new doubts about the broadband system and interference from its handsets.
By Inside GNSS
Air Force Space Commander Gen. William Shelton at House Armed Services subcommittee hearingAmidst a storm of political controversy and the conspicuous absence of a key administration witness, Department of Defense (DoD) officials told members of Congress today (September 15, 2011) that a proposed broadband wireless service would degrade or render useless billions of dollars of equipment essential to military operations.
By Inside GNSS
In a remarkable change of momentum, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a public notice yesterday (September 13, 2011) stating that “additional targeted testing” is needed in the matter of LightSquared Subsidiary LLC’s interference to GPS.
By Inside GNSS
The Galileo In-Orbit Validation (IOV) ProtoFlight Model (PFM) and Flight Models (FM-2, FM-3 and FM-4) undergoing assembly and testing at Thales Alenia Space’s facility in Rome during May 2011. ESA – S. CorvajaThe first Galileo navigation satellite arrived Wednesday (September 7, 2011) in Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, ready to begin preparations for launch on 20 October.
Packed within its protective, air-conditioned container, the satellite — known as Known as Flight Model 2, or FM2 — landed at Cayenne Rochambeau Airport aboard an Antonov aircraft, having departed from Thales Alenia Space Italy’s Rome facility, where it was built.
By Inside GNSS
LightSquared told a congressional committee today (September 8, 2011) that it would limit the on-the-ground power of its signals to avoid overpowering GPS receivers, which use frequencies next door that the company proposes to have rezoned for its high-powered wireless broadband network.
By Inside GNSS
Budget storms have reappeared on the horizon and the fore¬cast for defense expenditures, including for the GPS program, is grim with a high probability of ugly.
By Dee Ann Divis
CORS and OPUS for Engineers
Edited by Tomás Soler
PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS
Consumer demand for positioning information is currently being met by a plethora of wireless positioning technologies. The most popular consumer positioning technology, GNSS, is only one option along with several methods that use cellular networks to provide location, such as wireless local area networks (WLANs), wireless personal area networks (WPANs), radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, and ultrawideband (UWB) communications.
By Inside GNSS
