In a paper released in Science Advances, UNSW researchers describe the first observation of a native ferroelectric metal. The study represents the first example of a native metal with bistable and electrically switchable spontaneous polarization states – the hallmark of ferroelectricity. “We found coexistence of native metallicity and ferroelectricity in bulk crystalline tungsten ditelluride (WTe2) at room temperature,” explains study author Dr Pankaj Sharma. “We demonstrated that the […]

The GPS World staff reported live from the Institute of Navigation’s (ION) 2019 Joint Navigation Conference, which took place July 8-11 in Long Beach, California, and the Esri 2019 User Conference, which took place July 8-12 in San Diego. Check out news, photos and videos from the shows. Esri User Conference July 8-12 // San Diego NEWS  • Trimble launches usage-based service plan for Catalyst GNSS receiver (7/11/19)• Esri, Jane Goodall Institute partner to protect […]

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. — The Air Force’s Lockheed Martin-built Global Positioning System III satellite was encapsulated within the United Launch Alliance (ULA) payload fairing at Astrotech June 26 in preparation for its upcoming launch next month at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The USAF Space and Missile Systems Center, home to the vanguard of satellite acquisition professionals, and the nation’s launch procurer of choice, was responsible for GPS III SV02’s rigorous […]

News from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center GPS could be used to pilot in and around lunar orbit during future Artemis missions. A team at NASA is developing a special receiver that would be able to pick up location signals provided by the 24 to 32 operational GPS satellites. Such a capability could soon also provide navigational solutions to astronauts and ground controllers operating the Orion spacecraft, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and […]

The GPS satellite constellation is about to get its next heathy dose of new technology and more advanced capabilities. The second next-generation, Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)-built GPS III satellite – nick-named “Magellan” by the U.S. Air Force – is sealed up and ready for its planned July 25 launch. On June 26, Lockheed Martin Space and United Launch Alliance (ULA) technicians completed encapsulating GPS III Space Vehicle 02 (GPS III SV02) in its […]

A German research team successfully demonstrated a completely autonomous airplane landing in May, without assistance from any ground-based systems, fulfilling a key step towards autonomous air traffic and the much-bruited Urban Air Mobility (UAM). An optical reference system, encompassing a camera in the normal visible range and an infrared camera for conditions with poor visibility, combined with GPS to bring the modified Diamond DA42 in for a safe, unpiloted landing at the Diamond Aircraft airfield […]

On Sept. 25, the GPS Directorate will host the 2019 Public Interface Control Working Group and Open Forum to update the public on GPS public document revisions. The meeting will collect issues and comments for analysis and possible integration into future GPS public document revisions. The 2019 Public Interface Control Working Group and Open Forum are open to the general public. It can be attended in person or by dial-in connection. Documents Affected IS-GPS-200: Navigation […]

As an experienced aviator, Air Force retiree and founder of a paragliding company in Arkansas, Britton Shaw purchased an inReach® Explorer satellite communicator after imagining all the emergency scenarios that can occur while up in the air. When the need for an SOS occurred, however, Shaw was very much on the ground. He was perched precariously on the edge of a cliff after a rock slide in the remote mountains of Switzerland swept him off […]

Raytheon Company has signed a strategic agreement with AirMap, an airspace intelligence platform for drones, to collaborate on projects to safely integrate unmanned aerial systems (UAS) into the national airspace system. This will help unlock the positive economic and social benefits of expanded commercial drone operations, the companies said. Unmanned air traffic control advances will unlock safe, efficient, and scalable drone operations with a myriad of economic and social benefits. “AirMap is ushering in a […]

Within the United States, aircraft owners and pilots benefit from what many consider the best, and easiest, general aviation system in the world. In order to get from point A to point B domestically, it’s relatively simple. Pilots need to submit flight plans and study up on airspace, approach procedures and airport layouts for a given destination. But when it comes to crossing international borders, especially Canada, Mexico, Central America or the Caribbean, there are […]