Military – Defense

November 10, 2017

Lawmakers Begin Moving Military Space Management Out of the Air Force

Photo courtesy of GPS.gov.

House and Senate authorizers are forcing a reorganization of the Pentagon’s management of military space programs, giving authority to a soon-to-be-named official to prioritize space budgets across services and setting planning in motion for a possible new department. They also approved spending the full amounts requested for the military GPS programs and mandated that defense officials both test a backup to GPS and look at incorporating European and Japanese GNSS signals into military user equipment.

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By Inside GNSS
October 13, 2017

Air Force Declares First Lockheed Martin GPS III Satellite “Available for Launch”

GPS III SV01 now awaits a call up to begin pre-launch preparations. Photo: Lockheed Martin.

Ushering in a new era of advanced Global Positioning System technology, the U.S. Air Force this week declared the first Lockheed Martin-built GPS III satellite “Available for Launch.”

The Air Force’s “AFL” declaration is the final acceptance of Lockheed Martin’s first GPS III Space Vehicle (GPS III SV01) prior to its expected 2018 launch. GPS III SV01 will bring new capabilities to U.S. and allied military forces, and a new civil signal that will improve future connectivity worldwide for commercial and civilian users.

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By Inside GNSS
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September 27, 2017

AFSPC Commander Holding Steady Through Sea of Changes

General John (Jay) Raymond

The ground was already shifting when Gen. John (Jay) Raymond took charge of Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) in October 2016. Just six months before, his predecessor Gen. John Hyten had announced the Space Enterprise Vision, a new way of approaching space asset development, management and protection now that space had become both contested and far more crowded. There were issues across the space, ground and user segments of the GPS program; sequestration was still looming and Congress was looking closely at how to reorganize the way the Air Force managed its space programs.

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By Inside GNSS
September 20, 2017

Air Force Awards Lockheed Martin GPS M-Code Early Use Ground System Upgrade Contract

Denver, Colorado-based Lockheed Martin announced that the U.S. Air Force awarded the company a $45.5 million contract to provide Military Code (M-Code) Early Use (MCEU) capability to the Global Positioning System (GPS). Part of the Air Force’s overall modernization plan for the GPS, M-Code is an advanced, new signal designed to improve anti-jamming and protection from spoofing, as well as to increase secure access, to military GPS signals for U.S. and allied armed forces.

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By Inside GNSS
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September 19, 2017

DoD, Academia Test Systems for GPS Denial

Navigating the globe was once done using the sun, moon and stars as references, but modern times bring modern methods, and the majority of the world now relies on GPS — or another GNSS — for its navigation needs.

But what happens when GPS isn’t available?

A collection of Department of Defense (DoD) units and U.S. universities recently found out when they gathered at Edwards Air Force Base to evaluate various aerial platforms in a degraded GPS environment.

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By Inside GNSS
September 12, 2017

Quasi-Zenith Satellite System Development Leading Japan Toward Less Reliance on GPS

Yoshiyuki Murai, Director of QZSS Promotion Office (Supporting to the Cabinet office of Japan), NEC Corporation.

Early this summer, news out of Japan announced a significant step toward providing a boost to the accuracy and reception of the existing GPS in Japan and to delivering a better positioning reading for the people in that country. More recent reports now indicate additional information on Japan’s goals to rely less on the United States’ GPS and more on the country’s own Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS).

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By Inside GNSS
August 28, 2017

Air Force Selections Allow Space Operations Directorate to Reach Operating Capability

The U.S. Air Force last week selected the senior civilian and mobilization assistant for the deputy chief of staff for Space Operations Directorate, or "AF/A11." Shawn Barnes will serve as the assistant deputy chief of staff for Space Operations, and Maj. Gen. Pamela Lincoln has been named as the Mobilization assistant to the deputy chief of staff for Space Operations.

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By Inside GNSS
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