GPS Archives - Page 125 of 157 - Inside GNSS - Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design

June 28, 2011

First Encounters: Asteroid MD 2011 Meets the GPS Constellation

MD 2011 trajectory (NASA)

A schoolbus-sized asteroid grazed the Earth’s atmosphere around 1:00 P.M. (EDT) on June 27. It was 7,600 miles (12,300 km) away at its closest point, at which time it veered away across the South Atlantic Ocean.

It actually passed through the GPS constellation, alerting us to the vulnerability of our vital PNT space vehicles. We can now add asteroids to the the list of GNSS collision risks that already includes other satellites and space debris.

By Inside GNSS

U.S. Supreme Court to Weigh In on GPS Surveillance and the Fourth Amendment

On June 27, the Supreme Court decided to accept a 2005 Washington D.C. warrantless tracking case that illustrates how confusing GPS satellite positioning and the new technologies that follow, sense and link us are to judges and public alike. The case, United States v. Jones, will probably be heard during the October 2011 term.

By Inside GNSS

June 25, 2011

Excerpts from House Transportation Subcommittee Hearing on LightSquared Interference to GPS

Return to main story.

By Inside GNSS

Intermodulation Effects: Another Perspective on LightSquared Interference to GPS

Much of the research into the possible effects of the planned LightSquared cellular broadband transmissions near the GPS L1 band have focused on the saturation of the front end of GPS receivers caused by the high power of the terrestrial LightSquared base stations. In this article, an engineer with a long history in broadcast digital television takes a look at the likely effects on GPS receivers of third-order intermodulation products created by the LightSquared signals.

By Inside GNSS

LightSquared Lays Out New GPS Plan for Skeptical House Members

Would-be cellular broadband company LightSquared promised a Congressional subcommittee Thursday (June 23, 2011) that it would scale back its proposed wireless system and help pay to find a way to mitigate the network’s adverse effects on users of the Global Positioning System.

By Inside GNSS

June 24, 2011

Appropriators Cut $98 Million from FY12 GPS Program, Add $40 Million for Block IIF

The House Appropriations Committee approved its version of the Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12) Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R.2219) on June 14, cutting funds from the next-generation GPS space (GPS III) and operational control (OCX) segments, while adding money to the current GPS IIF satellite allocation.

By Inside GNSS

Senate Proposals for GPS Receiver Standards Won’t Solve LightSquared Issue

LightSquared’s proposed broadband service may cause trouble for GNSS receivers, such as this one, that use commercial satellite augmentation services.

The Senate is considering establishment of receiver standards as part of a wide-ranging effort to find more frequencies for wireless broadband services, a move that could ultimately result in expensive new requirements for the GPS community.

By Inside GNSS

June 23, 2011

House Appropriations Bill Cautions FCC on LightSquared GPS Interference

The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee today (June 23, 2011) approved action that would prevent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from expending any funds related to a conditional waiver it granted a company called LightSquared until all concerns have been resolved about interference with Global Positioning System (GPS).

By Inside GNSS

LightSquared Interference Could Cause $96 Billion a Year in GPS Commercial Losses

The report concerns economic effects on high precision commercial uses of GPS, such as precision agriculture. (U Calif. photo)

Research released yesterday (June 22, 2011) indicates that interference from LightSquared cellular broadband transmitters could cost manufacturers and users of commercial GPS technology up to $96 billion in annual losses.

By Inside GNSS

June 21, 2011

After Seeking FCC Extension, LightSquared Has a New Plan for GPS

Results of John Deere test of LightSquared’s effect on high-precision GPS receivers

In what looks like a pre-emptive strike in the wake of extensive evidence that its proposed terrestrial wireless broadband transmissions will interfere with GPS receivers, LightSquared today (June 20, 2011) proposed to solve the problem by cut the power of its base stations in half and temporarily use a bandwidth further away from GPS.

By Inside GNSS

June 15, 2011

LightSquared Gets Two-Week Extension on GPS Interference Report; Congressman Calls on FCC to Rescind Waiver

LightSquared graphic

With test results and congressional sentiment running against it, LightSquared has received a two-week extension for filing its report and recommendations, due to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) yesterday (June 15, 2011), on likely interference to the GPS L1 band.

Meanwhile, a congressional critic of LightSquared’s effort to roll out a 4G/LTE broadband cellular service adjacent to the GPS frequency has called on the agency to rescind its waiver of limits on the company’s plans to build a high-powered national network of terrestrial transmitters.

By Inside GNSS

Completion of Satellite Repositioning Optimizes GPS Constellation

Successful completion today (June 15, 2011) of the rephrasing of the GPS constellation known as “Expandable 24,” has produced the most optimal geometry in the system’s 42-year history, maximizing GPS coverage for all users worldwide.

The 2nd Space Operations Squadron (2 SOPS) of the 50th Space Wing at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, successfully executed the two-phase expansion and repositioning of satellites, which improves global GPS coverage and provides a more robust signal and higher probability of signal acquisition in terrain-challenged environments.

By Inside GNSS

June 14, 2011

Lockheed Space Systems Reduces Workforce

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, which is developing the GPS IIIA generation of satellites,
announced today (June 14, 2011) a 7.5 percent reduction in its
workforce designed to “address affordability” and improve the company’s
“competitive posture.”

By Inside GNSS

GPS

Summer Dreams: Case Western Wins Robotic Lawnmower Contest...

USA Challenge Competition Seeks Satellite Navigation Apps...

First Encounters: Asteroid MD 2011 Meets the GPS Constellation

U.S. Supreme Court to Weigh In on GPS Surveillance and the Fourth Amendment

Excerpts from House Transportation Subcommittee Hearing on LightSquared Interference to GPS

Intermodulation Effects: Another Perspective on LightSquared Interference to GPS

LightSquared Lays Out New GPS Plan for Skeptical House Members

Appropriators Cut $98 Million from FY12 GPS Program, Add $40 Million for Block IIF

Senate Proposals for GPS Receiver Standards Won’t Solve LightSquared Issue

House Appropriations Bill Cautions FCC on LightSquared GPS Interference

LightSquared Interference Could Cause $96 Billion a Year in GPS Commercial Losses

After Seeking FCC Extension, LightSquared Has a New Plan for GPS

LightSquared Gets Two-Week Extension on GPS Interference Report; Congressman Calls on FCC to Rescind Waiver

Completion of Satellite Repositioning Optimizes GPS Constellation

Lockheed Space Systems Reduces Workforce