Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) of Guildford, UK, shipped the last of the Galileo navigation payloads under its manufacture at the end of November 2020, the European Space Agency (ESA) stated. As a consequence of Brexit, the UK will no longer participate actively in Galileo.
By Inside GNSS
U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, wrote an opinion editorial piece at the close of 2020 warning any investors or potential investors in Ligado Networks that they face “massive risks.”
By Inside GNSS
The European Union’s Enhanced Navigation in Space (ENSPACE project), coordinated by Qascom, announced significant progress in the development of a software GNSS solution that supports Galileo and is especially aimed at the rapidly growing small satellite market sector.
By Inside GNSS
Raytheon Intelligence & Space delivered its 3,000th Miniaturized Airborne GPS Receiver (MAGR) 2000-S24 system to the U.S. Air Force recently. The MAGR2K is a secure, resilient GPS receiver that enables the warfighter to navigate the battlespace with protection against interference and jamming.
By Inside GNSS
The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Air Force Office of Scientific Research awarded 17 quantum information research science grants in late 2020, two of them with a focus on the use of quantum computing to overcome challenges in GPS-denied navigation.
By Inside GNSS
The Military Division of the Institute of Navigation will host the 2021 Joint Navigation Conference (JNC 2021) for the Departments of Defense and of Homeland Security on August 24–26.
By Inside GNSS
The Space and Missile Systems Center bought two more GPS 3F satellites from Lockheed Martin, exercising an option under a September 2018 agreement to buy up to 22 satellites from the company for $7.2 billion.
By Inside GNSS
As 2020 comes to a close, the Ligado Networks LLC’s (Ligado) mobile satellite services (MSS) project remains at a standstill. While actions in the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) proceedings in the case have stagnated, Congressional action, funds and filings have flowed.
By Dawn M.K. Zoldi (USAF, Ret.)
The Space and Missile Systems Center’s (SMC) Production Corps gained Operational Acceptance of GPS Military-Code (M-Code) Early Use (MCEU) in November, and the first sale of M-code equipment to a U.S. ally abroad was made in September.
By Inside GNSS
China’s BeiDou satellite navigation system has passed an assessment of critical standardization work at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) reported, citing the Chinese civil aviation authority and China Satellite Navigation Office.
By Inside GNSS
Raytheon Missiles & Defense announced that its StormBreaker smart weapon has been approved for use on the F-15E by the U.S. Air Force’s Air Combat Command. StormBreaker’s multimode seeker guides the weapon by imaging infrared, millimeter wave radar, and semi-active laser in addition to or with GPS and inertial navigation system guidance.
By Inside GNSS
Spirent Federal Systems announced that it has been selected by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for testing GNSS for lunar exploration.
By Inside GNSS
Korea will inaugurate its own satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS), the Korea Augmentation Satellite System (KASS), sometime in 2022, with signals broadcast over the East Asian region from adjunct payloads aboard two geostationary communications satellites.
By Inside GNSS