Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
The U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin the GPS Control Segment Sustainment II (GCS II) contract to continue to sustain and further modernize the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite constellation’s ground control system through 2025. This is the follow-on contract to Lockheed Martin’s current GCS contract awarded in 2013.
By Inside GNSS
Smartphones are seemingly omnipresent in our everyday lives. But new usage suggests that these mighty miniature devices can utilize crowd sourcing to defeat GPS jamming. For the latest on this critical topic, make sure to register for this 90-minute webinar on January 22 that will explore and compare the potential and current limitations of using smartphone density, ease of deployment and signal utility against the capabilities of dedicated networks.
By Inside GNSS
With the partial government shutdown nearing a record-breaking fourth week, news outlets are full of stories about security back-ups at airports, forgone food inspections, government employees in dire financial straits and a long list of other consequences of shuttering nine different federal departments and a host of agencies.
By Dee Ann Divis
U.S. small satellite launch company Rocket Lab has launched its third orbital mission of 2018, successfully deploying satellites to orbit for NASA. The mission, designated Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa)-19 , took place just over a month after Rocket Lab’s last successful orbital launch, “It’s Business Time.” Rocket Lab has launched a total of 24 satellites to orbit in 2018.
By Inside GNSS
During a discussion of PNT issues at a workshop on Dec. 11, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official mentioned that DHS was developing performance standards for GPS/GNSS receivers used in critical infrastructure.
By Inside GNSS
Advanced New Satellite Design to Help U.S. Air Force Modernize the GPS Constellation
TITUSVILLE, Florida, Dec. 11, 2018 – The U.S. Air Force’s first Lockheed Martin-built GPS III satellite is now encapsulated for its planned Dec. 18 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
By Inside GNSS
The 2nd Space Operations Squadron took formal command of Architecture Evolution Plan 7.5, the largest GPS architectural change in operational history, after its successful installation at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado on Nov 16, 2018.
By Inside GNSS
Today at AWS re:Invent, Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com company, and Lockheed Martin announced a strategic collaboration to integrate the new AWS Ground Station service with Lockheed Martin’s new Verge antenna network. AWS and Lockheed Martin are bringing these two highly capable systems together to provide a solution that addresses customer needs for resilient satellite uplinks and downlinks.
By Inside GNSS
NASA has a new spacecraft operating on the surface of Mars. This afternoon, the InSight Mars Lander, which was designed, built and tested by Lockheed Martin, navigated the dramatic entry and descent through the Martian atmosphere and touched down on Elysium Planitia in the equatorial region of Mars. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor responsible for the complete spacecraft system – cruise stage, aeroshell and the lander itself.
By Inside GNSS
Rockwell Collins has been selected by the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (USAF AFLCMC) to provide its latest-generation Digital GPS Anti-Jam Receiver (DIGAR). With unsurpassed GPS threat protection levels, DIGAR receivers will bring highly-reliable navigation for U.S. Air National Guard and U.S. Air Force Reserve F-16 aircraft operating in contested, electromagnetic environments, according to Rockwell Collins. This will be the first combat fighter aircraft to be installed with the latest version of the receiver.
By Inside GNSS
The Russian military jammed GPS signals during a major NATO military exercise in Norway between October 16 and November 7, according to multiple published reports this week. The military exercise involved thousands of U.S. and NATO troops, CNN reported, citing the Norwegian government.
By Stan Goff
The new European Space Agency (ESA) GNSS Science Support Centre (GSSC) is based at ESA’s European Space Astronomy Centre, ESAC, near Madrid. Run by ESA’s Galileo Science Office, the GSSC integrates IT and satnav infrastructure to deliver advanced data processing services to the scientific community.
By Inside GNSS
The ION Joint Navigation Conference (JNC), the largest U.S. military Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) technologies conference of the year with joint service and government participation, is calling for abstracts. The event will focus on technical advances in PNT with emphasis on joint development, test and support of affordable PNT systems, logistics and integration.
By Inside GNSS
