A: System Categories

Air Force Approves Lockheed Martin’s GPS Ground Control Design
December 13, 2016

Air Force Approves Lockheed Martin’s GPS Ground Control Design

GPS III satellites in production. Image Source: Lockheed Martin.

The U.S. Air Force has approved Lockheed Martin’s current GPS satellite ground control system upgrade to enable it to operate with more powerful and accurate GPS III satellites, the company said.

The Air Force’s Critical Design Review (CDR) for the Contingency Operations (COps) contract, completed on November 17, allows Lockheed Martin to proceed with the modification of the existing Architecture Evolution Plan (AEP) Operational Control Segment. The AEP, maintained by Lockheed Martin, controls the 31 GPS IIR, IIR-M and IIF satellites in orbit.

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By Inside GNSS
Two More Galileo Satellites Transmitting Navigation Signals
December 8, 2016

Two More Galileo Satellites Transmitting Navigation Signals

After months of testing, the European Space Agency (ESA) has announced that Galileo satellites 13 and 14 are transmitting healthy navigation signals and ready to relay distress calls to emergency services.

The satellites, launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on May 24, went through lengthy testing that included receiving and uplinking signals through specialized antennas, ESA said. Some of the tests included navigation and search and rescue payloads methodically switched on, the agency said.

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By Inside GNSS
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Ligado Networks and Topcon Reach Spectrum Use Agreement
December 7, 2016

Ligado Networks and Topcon Reach Spectrum Use Agreement

Ligado Networks has announced a cooperation agreement with Topcon Positioning Systems that removes another barrier to the wireless broadband company’s proposed 5G network rollout.

According to a November 29 letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the agreement calls for future coordination prior to network development and for any mitigation efforts. Topcon also urged the FCC to grant Ligado’s modification applications to enable ground-based services on its mid-band spectrum.

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By Inside GNSS
Lockheed Martin Advances GPS Ground Control System for U.S. Air Force
December 1, 2016

Lockheed Martin Advances GPS Ground Control System for U.S. Air Force

The Air Force’s Global Positioning Systems Directorate contracted the CUP2 upgrade.

Lockheed Martin has announced a major upgrade to modernize the GPS ground control system, the company said. The commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) upgrade no. 2 (CUP2) project, which became operational in mid-October to manage the 31 GPS satellites, is the latest step in the U.S. Air Force’s plan to refresh technology and transform the legacy operational control segment, also known as the Architecture Evolution Plan (AEP), the company said.

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By Inside GNSS
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GPSGLONASS

GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou for Mobile Devices

The navigation sensors for location-based services (LBS) are complex technical systems. Modern technical science can answer most questions about the optimality of particular position determination methods, signal processing algorithms, electronic circuits or similar well-defined problems, but the rigorous answer to the questions concerning the optimal LBS positioning sensor are still a big problem.

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By Inside GNSS
GNSS Hotspots | November 2016

GNSS Hotspots | November 2016

One of 12 magnetograms recorded at Greenwich Observatory during the Great Geomagnetic Storm of 1859
1996 soccer game in the Midwest, (Rick Dikeman image)
Nouméa ground station after the flood
A pencil and a coffee cup show the size of NASA’s teeny tiny PhoneSat
Bonus Hotspot: Naro Tartaruga AUV
Pacific lamprey spawning (photo by Jeremy Monroe, Fresh Waters Illustrated)
“Return of the Bucentaurn to the Molo on Ascension Day”, by (Giovanni Antonio Canal) Canaletto
The U.S. Naval Observatory Alternate Master Clock at 2nd Space Operations Squadron, Schriever AFB in Colorado. This photo was taken in January, 2006 during the addition of a leap second. The USNO master clocks control GPS timing. They are accurate to within one second every 20 million years (Satellites are so picky! Humans, on the other hand, just want to know if we’re too late for lunch) USAF photo by A1C Jason Ridder.
Detail of Compass/ BeiDou2 system diagram
Hotspot 6: Beluga A300 600ST

Highest altitude fix for a GPS signal, GNSS timing signals and hacking the Grid, Eagles act as drone countermeasures and rumors of a GNSS-nano-chip contributes to cash crisis in India

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By Inside GNSS
Exit, Pursued by a Bear

Exit, Pursued by a Bear

American Election 2016 — now that was something, wasn’t it?

A national unpopularity contest. Sort of Commedia dell’arte meets Monty Python, directed by Todd Phillips, with a cameo appearance by Berlusconi.

Did we find it risible? Oh, yes, but were those tears of laughter, sorrow, or disbelief?

So, while we are collectively unpacking the meaning and nonsense from two years of political theater and telling each other our fortunes for the next four, what does it portend for GNSS?

Well, the tea leaves are a little unclear.

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By Dee Ann Divis
How Will GNSS Fare Under a Trump Administration?

How Will GNSS Fare Under a Trump Administration?

With the Republican Party now entirely in charge of Washington’s prime policy real estate the neighborhood is going to change. The current residents are warily watching the newcomers take measurements for a major remodel of agencies, lobbying rules, national priorities, and international relationships, and everyone is assessing the implications of the new landscape.

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By Dee Ann Divis
Hitachi Uses Trimble Grade Control System
November 21, 2016

Hitachi Uses Trimble Grade Control System

Trimble GSC900 Allows Precision Excavation

Trimble has announced that the Hitachi Construction Machinery’s ZX200X-5B semi-automatic excavator is now available in Japan with the GCS900 Grade Control System.

The system uses GNSS, laser, sonic, or total station technology, to position the heavy machinery’s blade or bucket in real-time, for significant reduction in material overages and improving the contractor’s productivity, the company said. The unit makes design surfaces, grades, and alignments accessible to the operator inside a cab, Trimble said.

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By Inside GNSS
GPS for Everyone
November 20, 2016

GPS for Everyone

GPS seems to have come out of nowhere. There was no progression like eight-track tape to cassette to CD to MP3 player. One day we were driving around clueless of where we were, struggling with roadmaps bought as gas stations that couldn’t be folded back neatly once opened and — suddenly — there was an amiable female voice coming out of the dashboard offering directions to our destination and showing no signs of impatience when we made wrong turns.
From the author’s introduction to GPS for Everyone

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By Inside GNSS
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