Inside GNSS editor Glen Gibbons in the Bavarian AlpsI’m on my way, with Inside GNSS Business Development Director Richard Fischer, to the 8th Munich Satellite Navigation Summit in Germany — the big one for European GNSS politics and program updates.
While we’re in the air, I thought I’d take a look back at last year’s conference to see if the GNSS operator predictions matched the results (To keep me honest – here’s my March 6 online news report from the 2009 Munich Summit.)
I’m on my way, with Inside GNSS Business Development Director Richard Fischer, to the 8th Munich Satellite Navigation Summit in Germany — the big one for European GNSS politics and program updates.
While we’re in the air, I thought I’d take a look back at last year’s conference to see if the GNSS operator predictions matched the results (To keep me honest – here’s my March 6 online news report from the 2009 Munich Summit.)
1. Russia will place its first CDMA signal on the GLONASS L3 frequency that overlaps the European Galileo E5b spectrum:
Still on track to get the demonstration CDMA signal on to the first next-generation GLONASS-K satellite to be launched later this year — probably in September.
2. China plans to launch three COMPASS satellites in 2009 and seven more in 2010:
Didn’t make the 2009 target: one geostationary satellite went into orbit on April 14. So far in 2010: One GEO launched January 17. But a draft Interface Control Document probably will be released this year, too. That’s got to be worth a satellite launch or two, right?
3. GALILEO discussions questioned whether the costs to build Galileo can be kept within the agreed-to €3.4-billion limit:
After a fashion and at the cost of down-sized expectations: an initial constellation of only 16 satellites (out of a planned 30) by the end of 2013.
4.Will the GPS Block IIR-20(M) satellite with an L5 demonstration payload be launched in time to secure primary access to the frequency?
Well, yes, but perhaps the less said about the problem-plagued — and still unhealthy — SVN49, the better. (Oh no! Not another learning experience!)
It’s been another exciting year for all of GNSSes, and I’m looking forward to finding out what all of the players think is in store for the year ahead.
Oops. . . . Time to buckle the seatbelts and prepare for landing. See you at the conference!
While we’re waiting for a gate slot at the terminal, read the Inside GNSS take on the upcoming Munich Summit here.
