Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
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
For the fourth year in a row CRP USA is attending the Small Satellite Conference and Exhibit at Utah State University, Logan, Utah, from August 4-9. The event is held at the Taggart Student Center, and CRP USA is displaying cutting edge solutions for the space industry manufactured in the Windform family of high performance materials.
By Inside GNSS
The European Space Agency (ESA) recently ran an internal competition for its trainees to develop an app capable of making positioning fixes using only Galileo satellites. ESA challenged these young graduate and national trainees to develop smartphone apps to perform satellite navigation fixes solely with the use of Galileo satellites. Three teams developed apps in their spare time, presenting their results to a jury of experts from ESA, the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA) and Google.
By Inside GNSS
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will conduct demonstrations of GPS receivers this fall to support the buying plans of first responders, the Coast Guard and other agencies within DHS. The tests aim to clarify how well the receivers stand up to jamming and spoofing while being used on small, unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS or drones) for maritime missions.
By Dee Ann Divis
The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched a new initiative to
support space-based enhancements to Europe’s railway network.
Space4Rail will highlight
ESA funding programs that could support the use of GNSS in rail applications
while raising awareness of the added value that space systems can deliver.
GNSS is already being employed within the rail network to monitor
trains and check the integrity of rail infrastructure, and ESA, as a research
and development agency, has various programs dedicated to supporting such
activities.
Space4Rail has been set up as a one-stop shop for the rail industry
to learn about the agency and facilitate the submission of proposals for
partnerships. ESA offers financial and technical support to projects –
including access to its specialists and agency laboratories – while acting as a
broker between the space industry, the railway industry, and service providers.
ESA is already contributing to the Next Generation Train Control
(NGTC) project through a satellite expert group, providing technical expertise
on integrating satnav into future railway signaling systems.
Coordinated by the European rail manufacturing industry association
UNIFE and supported through the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Program,
NGTC is a consortium made up of the main rail system signaling suppliers,
together with mainline operators and infrastructure managers as well as urban
rail operators.
One example of such ESA-aided efforts is the 3InSat (Train
Integrated Safety Satellite System) project on a regional railway in Sardinia
(Italy), co-funded within the framework of the ESA´s ARTES 20 program. Led by
Ansaldo STS, the 3InSat team is developing and validating satellite-based
services compatible with the European Railway Traffic Management System
(ERTMS).
In September, a series of tests iwill validate the GNSS-based
location services that will eventually be integrated into the telecommunication
network.
The European-wide standard for train control and command systems,
ERTMS, has been promoted by the European Union to ensure cross-border
interoperability and simplify procurement of signaling equipment. Since 2004,
ERTMS has been deployed not only on an increasing number of European rail lines
but also on railways in other parts of the world as well, such as in China and
New Zealand.
Introducing satellite navigation and communications into ERTMS has
been a significant challenge due to the stringent safety requirements with
which railway signaling systems must comply. Once the approach is validated, however,
space-based systems could play an important role in making rail transport safer
and expanding the market opportunities for ERTMS.
The two main components of standard ERTMS implementations are the
European Train Control System (ETCS), a standard for in-cab train control, and
GSM-R, which is a GSM-based mobile communications standard for railway
operators. Up to now, trains using ERTMS determine their location by means
of balises, electronic beacons
or transponders, which are placed along a railway every 500–1,500 meters. This
information is transmitted via a dedicated GSM-R terrestrial network to rail
traffic control centers, which use the same network to transmit route data,
recommended speeds and other information to train operators, taking into
account the proximity of other trains.
Senate Seeks Report on OCX Alternative
Both the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee have now passed their spending bills, largely agreeing with the White House and their House counterparts on funding levels for the GPS program with the exceptions of nearly tripling the House cut to the GPS IIIF program and taking a shot across the bow of the new GPS ground system.
By Dee Ann Divis
A variety of organizations are cooperating to assess and address GPS-related vulnerabilities in the country’s critical infrastructure (CI). From receiver testing opportunities to community briefings and workshops the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plus other civil agencies, industry groups and experts are working through options looking for the best way forward.
By Dee Ann Divis
Harris Corporation has been awarded three multi-award IDIQ contracts with ceilings totaling $1.5 billion to provide the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) with geospatial data services for up to 10 years.
Harris will create, manage and disseminate high-quality geospatial-intelligence (GEOINT) information for use by the U.S. intelligence community and military worldwide under contracts that cover all three areas of NGA’s JANUS program – geography, imagery and elevation.
By Inside GNSS
The Military Division of the Institute of Navigation (ION) will host the 2018 Joint Navigation Conference (JNC 2018) for the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security this summer in Long Beach, California. The theme of this year’s conference will be: Positioning, Navigation and Timing Technologies: The Foundation for Military Ops and Homeland Security.
By Inside GNSS
Atos recently announced the launch of ProUST univerSAS (Protection Unit for Satellite Testing), its lightweight, compact satellite power testing system designed to improve high-volume satellite production by increasing the speed and efficiency of testing, while maintaining the industry’s quality and safety standards.
ProUST univerSAS is the first product following Atos’ recent acquisition of Siemens Convergence Creators (CVC), resulting in reinforced capabilities in the space market. The product is the latest addition toAtos’ integrated suite of electrical satellite testing solutions – EGSE (Electrical Ground Support Equipment) – which ensures that satellites’ systems are in optimum condition in order to work flawlessly during their entire lifespan in-orbit.
The ProUST univerSAS is a compact and power-dense satellite power testing system, said to delivermore than 16kW of power in just 2HU (~10cm). It is unique in that it can test numerous power configurations (Solar Array Simulation, Battery Simulation and Load Simulation) in one single device.
New Space challenges require a new kind of equipment
This system supports manufacturers to meet today’s ambitious high-volume production loads and adapt from traditional, mostly manual assembly, towards a more efficient manufacturing process. Its light weight, compact size, versatility and portability enables manufacturers to save on space and costs and improve on efficiency for faster development and testing cycles, using one single device.
“The introduction of ProUST univerSAS marks a new era in satellite power test system design. We are bringing together unprecedented power handling capability and versatility with assembly-line efficiency for the space industry. The system’s mobility facilitates flexible deployment in state-of-the-art production facilities around the globe, making it a natural building block of today’s and tomorrow’s satellite manufacturing installations,”Hans-Martin Steiner, CTO Space & Avionics at Atos, said in a press release.
Atos is experienced in providing effective solutions to the space industry, including those used in ground mission and control centers. It is also a pioneer in the development of Earth Observation Data exploitation platforms and is fostering innovation with numerous R&D projects.
By Inside GNSS
The Industry Space Days (ISD) is a unique event which provides an excellent opportunity for the European space community to meet and discuss prospective business. Described as the largest space innovation B-to-B meeting event, it will be held on September 11-12, 2018 at the European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
By Inside GNSS
The Australian government has launched a four-year plan to upgrade and densify its National Positioning Infrastructure (NPI) to improve position accuracy from coast to coast.
By Dee Ann Divis
The U.S. Coast Guard’s Navigation Center (NAVCEN), and its commander Captain Russell Holmes, received special honors at a ceremony where Holmes officially took his leave for New Orleans and a new post as officer in charge of marine inspection for the outer continental shelf.
By Dee Ann Divis
