Fourth GPS IIF Satellite Launched

The fourth GPS Block IIF satellite, space vehicle number (SVN) 66, was launched successfully today (May 15, 2013) on board a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 5:38 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

It was the first time that an Atlas V had been used to launch a GPS spacecraft.

White House Moves to Harden Infrastructure against GPS Disruption

System engineers across the country may soon be planning, in some cases perhaps for the first time, what they would do if they could not use the GPS service.

The effort is part of an expanded White House initiative to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure. Alhough infrastructure protection programs have been under way for some time, they did not necessarily address GPS vulnerabilities explicitly.

Air Force Examining Broader Options for Next GPS III Satellite Buy

The Air Force will decide this fall whether to build more GPS III satellites or move to a new generation of spacecraft, the leader of Air Force Space Command told Congress last week.

“We’re on contract right now . . . through (GPS III) satellite vehicle number eight. Satellite vehicles nine and beyond – the acquisition strategy for that – will be debated in the fall,” General William Shelton, commander of Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), told the House Armed Services Committee on April 25.

Defense Department CIO Teresa Takai Gets Positioning, Navigation and Timing Brief

A Department of Defense Directive (DoDD 5144.02) issued April 22 clarifies the positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) responsibilities for Teresa Takai, the assistant secretary of defense for networks and information integration (NII) and the DoD’s chief information officer (CIO).

NASA Successfully Launches Three Smartphone Satellites

ET may have an improved method to phone home and satellite operators, a new way to position and control satellites — smartphones in space.

North Korea’s GPS Jamming Prompts South Korea to Endorse Nationwide eLoran System

GPS jamming attacks from North Korea that have increased in frequency and duration since they began August 2010 have prompted the South Korean government to implement an enhanced Loran (eLoran) systems that will cover the entire country by 2016.

The South Korean government completed design, development, and construction documents for the eLoran system in February and will procure the system infrastructure through international competitive bidding.

U.S. Agencies Seek Comments on Future Uses of NDGPS

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), is seeking public comments on the current and future user needs for the Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System (NDGPS).

Military GPS Budget Appears Steady as President Bids to Slow Defense Cuts

Spending pressures on the Pentagon seem to be coming from every direction, and the GPS program appears unlikely to avoid them entirely.

The growing needs of veterans are poised to force up health care budgets and higher transportation costs and operating tempos have dug a $22 billion-hole in the accounts for Overseas Contingency Operations in places such as Afghanistan.

Galileo Satellite Achieves High Earth Orbit Positioning with GPS

When the European Space Agency launched its Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element-A (GIOVE-A) satellite in 2005, its main mission was to transmit Galileo test signals that secured the system’s frequencies, evaluate hardware under space environmental conditions, and so forth.