satellites/space segment

USAF Repositions GPS Constellation to Improve Coverage in Afghanistan and Iraq

USAF Repositions GPS Constellation to Improve Coverage in Afghanistan and Iraq

US Army soldier equipped with new Land Warrior gear, including GPS within a computer/radio subsystem (CRS) (photo: defenseimagery.mil)

Officials from the U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) and Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) have announced their decision to optimize the GPS constellation over the next two years so as to improve global coverage for GPS military users in Afghanistan and Iraq. Inside GNSS reported on the initiative last November.

The need to support U.S. and allied military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, where terrain in geographically challenging areas can degrade complete coverage of GPS signals, prompted the Air Force to seek ways to improve signal coverage.

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By Inside GNSS
New Software, Delays for GPS Control Segment, IIF Satellite
January 8, 2010

New Software, Delays for GPS Control Segment, IIF Satellite

Block IIF satellite

The U.S. Air Force GPS Wing and the 50th Space Wing will implement a new ground system software release on January 11 to enable telemetry, tracking, and commanding for the new GPS IIF satellites and provide over-the-air distribution of encryption keys for military user P(Y)-code equipment.

The software will be implemented by the GPS Master Control Center at Schriever AFB, Colorado.

Meanwhile, the schedules for launching the first IIF spacecraft and awarding the prime contract for modernization of the GPS operational control segment (OCX) continue to slip.

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By Inside GNSS
Small Satellites System and Services: 4S Symposium

Small Satellites System and Services: 4S Symposium

The 4S Symposium and exhibition will take place at the Pestana Conference Center in Funchai on the Portugeuse island of Madeira from May 31 to June 4 2010.It is sponsored by ESA, the European Space Agency and the French space agency, CNES.

Paper abstracts are due by January 11 2010. This year’s topic is "The Small Satellites and the Knowledge-based Society."

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By Inside GNSS
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Toulouse Space Show 2010

Toulouse Space Show 2010

The 2010 Toulouse Space Show will take place at the Pierre Baudis Convention Center in Toulouse, France on June 8-11 2010. It’s a veritable festival of European space applications.

It includes a commercial exhibition, technical events, and six conferences:

  • Third International Space Applications Conference

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By Inside GNSS
Asia Oceania Region Workshop on GNSS
January 7, 2010

Asia Oceania Region Workshop on GNSS

The Asia Oceania Region Workshop on GNSS is a new event organized by Japan’s space agency and Satellite Positioning Research and Applications Center and GISTDA, Thailand’s space agency.

It will take place at the Sofitel Centara Grand Bangkok hotel on Monday and Tuesday, January 25-26, 2010.

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By Inside GNSS
Galileo Program to Announce Key Contracts Soon
December 28, 2009

Galileo Program to Announce Key Contracts Soon

Winners of key Galileo contracts will be announced January 7 or 8, following a quiet period after the European Space Agency (ESA) recommended the OHB System/Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) team for building the first round of eight full operational capability (FOC) satellites.

Former competitors ThalesAleniaSpace, Italy, and Logica, The Netherlands, reportedly will join forces to carry out the contract for Work Package 1, Galileo system support, which includes responsibility for system and signal-in-space engineering.

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By Inside GNSS
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GPS III Contractor Helps Washington Navigate the Delaware
December 26, 2009

GPS III Contractor Helps Washington Navigate the Delaware

Re-enactment of Washington’s Crossing. State of New Jersey photo

Lockheed Martin Space Systems bestowed a $400,000 Christmas present on a Pennsylvania park district, helping preserve the organization’s 57-year-old tradition of re-enacting Gen. George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River in 1776 during the Revolutionary War.

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By Inside GNSS
U.S. Air Force Plans to Improve GPS Constellation Geometry for Military Forces in Afghanistan
November 13, 2009

U.S. Air Force Plans to Improve GPS Constellation Geometry for Military Forces in Afghanistan

Combined Joint Task Force 76 helicopter carries troops and supplies over Eastern Afghanistan. Photo by Staff Sgt. Michael Casteel, U.S. Army

U.S. Air Force officials are moving to reconfigure the GPS constellation to create a 27-satellite geometry that will improve the availability and accuracy of positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) capabilities for U.S. military forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Although the constellation currently has 30 operational space vehicles (SVs), not including the SVN49/PRN1 that has still not been set healthy, a number of the spacecraft are located nearby other satellites — effectively creating a 24-SV geometry. (See accompanying figure.)

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By Inside GNSS
Galileo Program Recalibrates Schedule, Budget, Open Signal ICD
November 4, 2009

Galileo Program Recalibrates Schedule, Budget, Open Signal ICD

Galileo IOV ProtoFlight Model under Assembly

Galileo program managers appear to have bowed to the unavoidable and acknowledged that completing the European satellite navigation system will take longer and cost more than their revised estimates of 2014 and  €3.4-billion ($5.04-billion), respectively

And, although a revised Galileo Open Service Signal-in-Space Interface Control Document (OS-SIS-ICD) will appear soon allowing manufacture and sale of Galileo equipment without a license, the ICD will still require a license for commercial use of the intellectual property contained in the document.

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By Inside GNSS
Europe Declares Start of EGNOS Satellite Navigation Service
October 2, 2009

Europe Declares Start of EGNOS Satellite Navigation Service

Antonio Tajani, EC Vice-President for Transport Policy, announces EGNOS Open Service.

During a press conference today (October 1, 2009), Antonio Tajani, European Commission vice-president for transport policy, announced the official start of operations for EGNOS, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service.   This is a major milestone for EGNOS, a satellite-based augmentation system that improves the accuracy of satellite navigation signals over Europe.

The EGNOS Open Service is now available free of charge for non-safety-of-live applications to all users equipped with suitable receivers – and most mass-market satellite navigation receivers being sold today are EGNOS-ready.

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By Inside GNSS
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