Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and Qascom, an Italian company specializing in Galileo, are collaborating to build the first GPS and Galileo receiver to be tested on board the International Space Station (ISS) Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Testbed.
By Inside GNSS
The State Department last week published its final rule that updates export controls on military GNSS receivers through the U.S. Munitions List (USML).
The State Department-controlled USML, governed by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), moves GNSS receivers out of the USML spacecraft systems and related articles category. Instead, GNSS receivers are now controlled under the guidance and navigation systems category.
By Inside GNSS
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) has released the first data from its study of power levels for services seeking to use spectrum near GNSS frequencies for ground-based and other applications that could interfere with satellite navigation.
By Dee Ann Divis
(UPDATED January 1, 2017) A positive leap second was inserted between second 23:59:59 UTC of 31 December and second 00:00:00 UTC of 1 January 2017. This extra second is displayed on UTC clocks as 23:59:60. The last leap second was introduced in UTC on 30 June 2015 at UTC 23:59:60
By Inside GNSS
It’s official. The Department of Defense is sticking with its current GPS ground system development program and with its current prime contractor Raytheon — although the details of how it will realign the program remain unclear.
By Inside GNSS
The modified Ariane 5 launcher that will lift four Galileo satellites into space is being assembled at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, preparation for launch on November 17.
By Inside GNSS
Terrebonne, Canada-based Eos Positioning Systems has released its Arrow Gold Bluetooth GNSS receiver. Arrow Gold is the first iOS, Android, and Windows Bluetooth GNSS receiver to work with GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), and the Atlas correction service, the company said.
The palm-sized Arrow Gold receiver provides centimeter-level accuracy on iOS, Android, and Windows devices. Arrow Gold, which costs $4,395, works with such data collection systems as Esri’s Collector/Survey123 and others.
By Inside GNSS
Hemisphere GNSS and Carlson Software have released the Hemisphere S321 and Carlson BRx6 receivers for land surveying, construction fieldwork, and marine operations.
The lightweight and compact new receivers work with GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo, the company said. The receivers also incorporate real-time kinematic (RTK) and L-band corrections, including optimization for Hemisphere’s subscription-based Atlas GNSS global correction service, Hemisphere said.
By Inside GNSS
L-3 Communications has announced that its next-generation military code (M-Code) GPS user equipment completed the final step in a government security certification process.
The development and certification of this technology was performed under the Air Force military GPS user equipment (MGUE) program, led by the Space and Missile Systems Center’s (SMC) GPS Directorate at Los Angeles Air Force Base.
By Inside GNSS
A U.S. Transportation Department (DoT) public workshop will address GNSS receiver testing results October 14, 2016 at RTCA, Inc., 1150 18th ST NW, Suite 910, in Washington, DC.
The event begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m.EDT.
Workshop members, as part of DoT’s fifth GPS Adjacent Band Compatibility Assessment (ABC) effort, will discuss GNSS receiver testing that includes non-certified aviation, cellular, general location and navigation, high precision and networks, timing, and space-based receivers, the agency said.
By Inside GNSS
NavtechGPS Fall GPS/GNSS Training Seminars 2016 will take place at the Westin Tysons Corner Hotel in Falls Church, Viginia (Washington, D.C. area), November 14-18, 2016.
Courses 541 and 556 start on November 14, 2016. Courses 122 and 346 will start on November 15, 2016.
By Inside GNSS
The U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) has selected NovAtel’s GPS anti-jam technology (GAJT) for controlled reception pattern antenna (CRPA) capability at Defense Department Information Network (DoDIN) sites, the company said.
The U.S. Navy has ordered more than 600 NovAtel GAJT antennas, which work with civil and military receivers, the company said.
By Inside GNSS
Air Force Space Commander Gen. John HytenThe Department of Defense (DoD) is less than three weeks away from a decision on whether to retain, cancel, or change its contract to develop a new GPS ground system.
A source familiar with the program said they believe the Air Force will stick with the program but will recast it to fit more closely with DoD’s budget realities.
By Dee Ann Divis
