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Expert Advice: Block IIR Lifetimes and GPS Sustainment

November 1, 2010 - By

In 2009, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report claimed that the GPS constellation was extremely vulnerable to failure, and a recent September 2010 GAO follow-up continues to make that assertion. In this article, we present the technical data to contradict some of the GAO report conclusions. read more

This article is tagged with , , and posted in From the Magazine, Opinions

Where Time and Space Meet

November 1, 2010 - By

Increasing availability and performance of state-of-the-art navigation sensors motivates the need for a highly accurate reference system commonly referred to as a time-space position information (TSPI) device. The Advanced Navigation Center at the Air Force Institute of Technology is working with the Air Force Flight Test Center to develop a next generation time-space position information (TSPI) system to be used for test and evaluation of modern navigation devices. read more

This article is tagged with , , and posted in Transportation

The System: Galileo PRS Delivery in Question

November 1, 2010 - By

Once envisioned to orbit 30 satellites, Galileo’s constellation has over time been reduced to a planned, though still not space-borne, four initial satellites plus 14 operational satellites for a total of 18. The European Space Agency (ESA), under direction of the European Commission (EC), confirmed at the October 19–21 European Navigation Conference (ENC) in Germany that it plans to declare... read more

This article is tagged with , , and posted in GNSS

On the Edge: Tracking, Testing

November 1, 2010 - By

One-hundred-twenty meters of test track, designed for repeatable dynamic position testing, run along the roof of the new Nottingham Geospatial Building at the University of Nottingham, UK. The figure-eight track provides an optimal controlled environment with test equipment aboard a remote-controlled, multi-sensor 7¼-inch gauge locomotive platform with a top speed of 7 kilometers per hour, a dedicated power supply, and five antenna mounts. Simulation of the track using Spirent GSS8000 hardware (GPS and Galileo) provides additional planning and testing capacity. read more

This article is tagged with , , , , , and posted in Transportation