With the August 22 launch of Lockheed Martin’s GPS III SV02 satellite aboard the final Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) launch vehicle, the Space and Missile Systems Center’s Launch Enterprise marked the successful completion of a rigorous Summer launch schedule. Launching four critical missions in under 60 days from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, SMC/LE’s “Summer of Launch ’19” campaign showcased several innovative firsts and concluded […]

Photo: Orolia Orolia Maritime has revealed the FastFind ReturnLink PLB with Return Link System (RLS) life-saving beacon system. Orolia worked closely with the European GNSS Agency (GSA) on the Galileo satellite system since the company was selected to lead development of next-generation search-and-rescue (SAR) distress beacons. Earlier this year, Orolia introduced the first Galileo-enabled personal locator beacons (PLBs). Building upon this, the new FastFind ReturnLink transmits the user’s unique ID and GNSS location via the […]

November 22, 2019 On a summer night in July, a 130-pound German shepherd with injured paws was unable to descend a remote trail in the North Cascades Range, and its owner didn’t know what to do. A third-party individual had triggered an SOS on their inReach® satellite communicator to report the situation, and staff at the GEOS International Emergency Response Coordination Center contacted the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office to respond. The Sheriff’s Office knew that the Washington […]

GPS tracking data reveals that the foraging activity of the European nightjar more than doubles during moon-lit nights, and the birds then migrate simultaneously about 10 days after the full moon, according to a study published October 15 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Gabriel Norevik and Anders Hedenstrom of Lund University in Sweden, and colleagues. Every year, billions of seasonal migrants connect continents by transporting nutrients, energy and pathogens between […]

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved two Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) for CMC Electronics, to help airplanes comply with automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast out (ADS-B Out) requirements. Boeing 737 Next-Generation Aircraft CMA-5024. (Photo: CMC Electronics) The FAA has approved an STC to install the SBAS-capable CMA-5024 GPS on Boeing 737 Next-Generation aircraft to comply with worldwide ADS-B Out mandates as well as SBAS/GPS navigation enabling the first localizer performance with vertical guidance (LPV) approaches for […]

November 20, 2019 With the recent explosive growth of indoor training, the indoor bike trainer is no longer just a last resort for bad weather days or something the pros use while recuperating after a broken collarbone. On the contrary, your indoor bike trainer is the key to endless possibilities. It has everything you need to train according to your needs. That includes ERG mode. ERG is short for ergometer so ERG mode is when […]

The 2nd Space Operations Squadron decommissioned Satellite Vehicle Number 38, to give way to the next generation of GPS III satellites at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, Oct. 9, 2019. First Lieutenant Kristina Brandes, 2nd SOPS chief bus system analyst, said the squadron was disposing of the satellite because it is at the end of its operational life. “It’s one of our oldest satellites that launched 22 years ago,” she […]

Speaking at the annual Stanford Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Symposium, a Chinese representative described how her nation is building the world’s first resilient and robust, and, in her words, “comprehensive” PNT architecture. Xiaochun Lu presents at Stanford PNT Symposium on Oct. 30, 2019. (Photo: Stanford University) Xiaochun Lu of China’s National Timing Service Center described a multi-source PNT system that will be “more ubiquitous, more integrated, more intelligent.” Centered around continually upgraded BeiDou GNSS […]

November 18, 2019 The start line for the Stagecoach Line 100-mile race cuts across a grassy field surrounded by ponderosa pine trees at Hotshot Ranch, just outside Flagstaff, Arizona. Despite the inevitable early morning start time required by ultra-race distances, the runners — at least those able to calm prerace jitters long enough to notice — are treated to an unobstructed view of Humphreys Peak, which, at an elevation of 12,633 feet, is the highest natural point in […]

Lockheed Martin received a $25 million initial contract award for engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) for the GPS Spatial Temporal Anti-Jam Receiver (GSTAR) system that will be integrated into the F-35 as part of its modernization phase, also known as Block 4. The GSTAR system will replace the current Antenna Electronics Unit (AEU) and will provide enhanced capabilities including the next-generation, anti-jam solution and provide a significant weight and cost reduction to […]