satellites/space segment

Air Force Investigating Residuals in GPS IIF Signals
July 19, 2010

Air Force Investigating Residuals in GPS IIF Signals

GPS IIF-SV1 launch. United Launch Alliance photo

[Updated July 22, 2010] Air Force officials at the GPS Wing have confirmed that higher-the-expected range residuals detected by researchers at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) are appearing in signals transmitted by the first GPS IIF satellite, designated SVN/62/PRN25.

But the Air Force and Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, which built the spacecraft, point out SVN62 is currently performing within specifications, and the signal phenomenon does not appear likely to have any significant effect on GPS positioning when the satellite is declared operational.

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By Inside GNSS
Lockheed Martin Unveils GPS Exhibit at the United Nations in Vienna
July 16, 2010

Lockheed Martin Unveils GPS Exhibit at the United Nations in Vienna

Rick Ambrose, Lockheed Martin vice-president and general manager, surveillance and navigation systems, introduces GPS Block III model for Permanent Space Exhibit at United Nations Committee on Pea, Vienna,

Lockheed Martin has opened a GPS exhibit as a part of the Permanent Space Exhibit of the United Nations Office at Vienna, Austria, to emphasize the importance of satellite navigation technology serving millions of citizens around the globe.

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By Inside GNSS
New Multi-GNSS Demonstration Campaign Launched for Asia-Oceania
June 30, 2010

New Multi-GNSS Demonstration Campaign Launched for Asia-Oceania

Interoperability in a world of multiple global navigation satellite systems—everybody talks about it, but not much has been done about it in practice. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) hopes to change that with a five-year campaign demonstrating the benefits and opportunities of maximizing the use of the more than 100 GNSS space vehicles that will be operating over the Asia-Oceania region in the next decade. (See accompanying satellite-visibility graphic).

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By Inside GNSS
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GPS IIF Signals: Loud and Clear

GPS IIF Signals: Loud and Clear

Stanford GNSS Monitor Station Antenna

Initial analyses by researchers in the United States and Germany of the transmissions from the first GPS Block IIF satellite indicate generally strong and healthy signals, although the some aspects of the new L5 signal are drawing close attention.

The researchers’ efforts will be reported in two articles in the July/August issue of Inside GNSS magazine.

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By Inside GNSS
Russian Company Offers 'Preliminary' Specifications for GLONASS CDMA Signal
June 23, 2010

Russian Company Offers ‘Preliminary’ Specifications for GLONASS CDMA Signal

Illustration of GLONASS-K satellite

A provisional specification for the planned GLONASS CDMA signal has been defined and is available to receiver manufacturers interested in experimenting with the demonstration signal that will be broadcast from the GLONASS-K satellite to be flight-tested later this year.

Mark Shmulevich, head of business development for Russian Space Systems (RSS), extended the offer at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation GNSS Implementation Team (APEC-GIT) meeting in Seattle, Washington, this week. RSS is an amalgamation of 10 former Russian federal state unitary enterprises — that is, government corporations — and other Russian institutes and agencies established last year, with the former Russian Institute of Space Device Engineering (RISDE) serving as the lead.

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By Inside GNSS
Lockheed Martin Team Completes Requirements Review for GPS IIIB Program
June 22, 2010

Lockheed Martin Team Completes Requirements Review for GPS IIIB Program

Lockheed Martin has announced successful completion of a key requirements review for the GPS IIIB satellite series under the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation GPS III Space Segment program.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Newtown, Pennsylvania, is working under a $3 billion development and production contract from the U.S. Air Force to produce up to 12 GPS IIIA satellites, with first launch projected for 2014. The contract includes a Capability Insertion Program (CIP) designed to mature technologies and perform rigorous systems engineering for the future IIIB and IIIC increments planned as follow-on procurements.

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By Inside GNSS
Testing Multi-GNSS Equipment

Testing Multi-GNSS Equipment

FIGURE 1: Single- and multi-channel simulators, GPS/Galileo (on top) and GPS/GLONASS software receiver USB front end with controlled power source

For the complete story, including figures, graphs, and images, please download the PDF of the article, above.

Testing procedures comprise an important element in the development, manufacturing, and integration of GNSS devices. Essentially, everybody involved in GNSS will be involved in or affected by testing at one time or another.

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By Inside GNSS
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On the Air

On the Air

With the launch of the Delta IV rocket on May 27 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station the first satellite (space vehicle number 62 or SVN62) of the latest GPS generation Block IIF (F, for “follow-on”) was carried into earth orbit — a major step with roots in the past.

Eight years ago in August 2002 the United States decided in coordination with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-R) to transmit a new civil signal on a third frequency known as L5.

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By Inside GNSS
First Look at GPS L5 Signal
June 18, 2010

First Look at GPS L5 Signal

GPS L5 Signal Spectrum. German Aerospace Center image

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has tracked and recorded the first operational L5 GPS signal as transmitted by the first GPS Block IIF satellite launched on May 27. The accompanying spectral image of the signal was received at about 15:10 UTC (GMT) today (June 17, 2010).

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By Inside GNSS
ITT Passes GPS III Nav Component CDR
June 15, 2010

ITT Passes GPS III Nav Component CDR

ITT Corporation has announced that it passed a key milestone last month with successful completion of the critical design review (CDR) for the Mission Data Unit (MDU) the company is developing as part of the navigation payload for the U.S. Air Force’s GPS III program.

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By Inside GNSS
DLR, Stanford Track First GPS IIF Signals; Tests Begin on L5
June 7, 2010

DLR, Stanford Track First GPS IIF Signals; Tests Begin on L5

GPS IIF SV1 Spectral Flux Density on L1. DLR figure

[Updated June 10] The U.S. Air Force announced today (June 10) that it has begun
testing the new operational L5 signal transmitted by the first GPS IIF satellite (space vehicle 1 or SV1 — designated SVN-62 in the overall GPS system), which was launched May 27.

On June 7, 2010, a team of experts from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Stanford University in California reported results of their tracking of the first navigation signals from the satellite, the pseudorandom noise code 25 (PRN25) on L1 and L2 — C/A and P(Y).

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By Inside GNSS
China Begins Broadcasts on Latest Compass GNSS GEO Satellite
June 3, 2010

China Begins Broadcasts on Latest Compass GNSS GEO Satellite

A Compass/Beidou-2 geostationary satellite is lifted into space from China’s Xichang space center. (China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology photo)

[Updated June 11] China has begun transmitting signals on three frequencies from the Compass G3 satellite launched into geostationary orbit (GEO) on June 2. G3 is the third Compass (Beidou-2) GEO and the second such launch this year. The three GEOS and a a middle-earth-orbiting (MEO) spacecraft launched in 2007 comprise the constellations of China’s second-generation GNSS system now under development.

Chinese officials announced that the Compass G3 had reached its geostationary position at 84.6° E longitude on June 7. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has been able to capture the first nominal navigation signals of Beidou G-3.

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By Inside GNSS
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