Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
Precision agriculture is just one of many sectors taking advantage of advancements in GNSS technology in recent years, but few have the potential to make such a big impact.
By Stan Goff
Though the Senate approved next year’s funding for the Department of Defense (DOD) just before its Labor Day break there are still hurdles to overcome before the fiscal year runs out on September 30. For the most part further delay should not greatly impact GPS efforts — as long as stopgap funding is secured to keep DOD’s doors open — but extending the deadline will likely put the GPS IIIF program on hold.
By Dee Ann Divis
The first of the U.S. Air Force’s advanced new, higher-power, harder-to-jam GPS III satellites is making its way to the launch pad.
By Inside GNSS
There was a flurry of filings July 9 just as the window closed for public comment on Ligado Networks’ proposal to repurpose satellite frequencies for a terrestrial network — a plan with the potential to interfere with GPS receivers.
The comments emerged as speculation swirled around a July 3 bid by EchoStar for Ligado spectrum supplier INMARSAT. The bid was rejected and, as of press time, EchoStar will have to wait six months before trying again.
By Dee Ann Divis
CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla.– The U.S. Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) Global Positioning Systems (GPS) Directorate achieved a major program milestone Aug. 21, successfully delivering the first GPS III satellite to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida to begin launch processing.
By Inside GNSS
As the first Lockheed Martin-built GPS III satellite prepares to ship to the launch pad, the U.S. Air Force has declared that the second GPS III satellite is complete, fully tested and ready to launch.
By Inside GNSS
The deck of a tall ship rolled heavily beneath me as a freshening wind whistled through the rigging. A sextant in one hand and a stop watch in the other, I carefully listened. “Tock, Tock, Tock, Tock… the time is now fourteen hours, fifty-eight minutes, Coordinated Universal Time… Dong.” I clicked the stop watch in preparation for checking and winding the ship’s chronometers and measuring the height of the sun at local apparent noon.
By Inside GNSS
The newly signed Defense Authorization Act incorporates a number of GPS-related provisions though a measure ordering the creation of a GPS timing back-up was pulled by conferees as they hammered out their final deal.
By Dee Ann Divis
With plenty of promise, the third launch of Europe’s Galileo constellation took place four years ago. What followed was not at all what was expected, as problems turned much of the promise into gloom.
By Inside GNSS
While news broke last week of a Department of Defense (DOD) policy to prohibit GPS-enabled devices in deployed settings, no one should expect a drop in usage of popular devices such as Fitbit fitness trackers from the general public.
By Stan Goff
The Global Positioning Systems (GPS) Directorate will host the 2018 Public Interface Control Working Group and Open Public Forum on September 12, 2018 for the following NAVSTAR GPS public documents: IS-GPS-200 (Navigation User Interfaces), IS-GPS-705 (User Segment L5 Interfaces), IS-GPS-800 (User Segment L1C Interface), ICD-GPS-240 (NAVSTAR GPS Control Segment to User Support Community Interfaces), and ICD-GPS-870 (NAVSTAR GPS Control Segment to User Support Community Interfaces).
By Inside GNSS
The Galileo constellation took another big step towards full operational capability with the successful launch last month of four satellites on-board an Ariane 5 launcher. Representatives of leading industry that have adopted Galileo then held a special press briefing for journalists from across the continent to address updates on how European citizens and businesses are already taking advantage of benefits delivered by Galileo.
By Stan Goff
The nation’s leading GPS experts voted unanimously Monday to oppose allowing Ligado Networks to use spectrum neighboring the GPS band for terrestrial communications.
By Dee Ann Divis
