Abstracts for Joint Navigation Conference (JNC) 2023, “Enhancing Dominance and Resilience for Warfighting and Homeland Security PNT,” are due Feb. 3. JNC 2023 is the largest United States military positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) conference of the year with joint service and government participation.
The Institute of Navigation’s Military Division will host the conference June 12-15 at the Town and Country Hotel in San Diego. The event will be open to all conference participants, exhibitors, their employees and related organizations. All materials displayed in the exhibit hall will be publicly released after review.
The event will focus on advances in PNT with an emphasis on joint development, testing and support of affordable PNT systems, logistics and integration. Additionally, the conference will cover advances in battlefield applications of GPS, critical strengths and weaknesses of field navigation devices, warfighter PNT requirements and solutions and navigation warfare.
Abstracts must be written for public release with the intent to present in a Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) U.S. only environment. Abstracts not approved for public release will not be accepted.
Interested parties may submit their abstracts at ion.org/jnc.
On Jan. 3, Hexagon and Dayou announced the availability of TerraStar-X Enterprise test beds in Beijing, Shanghai, Anqing and Shenzhen for OEMs in the automotive and micro-mobility industries. Terra-Star-X Enterprise precise-point positioning corrections provide lane-level accuracy with fast convergence for autonomous vehicles and mass-market use.
The availability of the test beds follows the initial announcement by Hexagon’s Autonomy & Positioning division and Dayou of their partnership aiming to deliver GNSS correction services to the Chinese market. Users of autonomous platforms will now have a single correction service that works in China, North America and Europe.
OEMs in China can now leverage the test beds with consumer and automotive-grade GNSS receivers to design advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and other products, such as mobile applications, safety-critical solutions and more.
On Jan. 5, DroneShield announced the completion of its Defense Innovation Hub project. This project resulted in improvements to its optical/thermal AI DroneOptID engine, as well as the development of a multi-sensor fusion artificial intelligence engine (SFAI).
DroneShield’s DroneOptID is AI powered and designed for autonomous optical detection, classification and tracking of UAVs. This engine can be integrated with command-and-control platforms, such as DroneShield’s DroneSentry-C2, which the new SFAI engine will become a core part this year.
The $800,000 project was first commissioned in November 2021 by the Australian Department of Defense, under phase two of the Defense Innovation Hub program. DroneShield was contracted to work on AI in multi-domain applications for the counter-unmanned aerial system space and more general military and government agency applications.
A Ukrainian intelligence assessment obtained by CNN and CBS reported an Iranian UAV downed in Ukraine contained technology from companies in the United States and other western countries. The White House has since launched an investigation as to how the technology — including semiconductors, GPS modules and engines — were obtained by Iran.
Screenshot: CBS video
The components removed from an Iranian Shahed-136 UAV totaled 52, 40 of which were manufactured by 13 different U.S. companies. The remaining components were manufactured by other western companies and companies based in Japan, Taiwan and China.The United States monitors exports and imposed restrictions and sanctions to prevent Iran from obtaining components for UAVs. Officials are now looking to enhance enforcement of the sanctions and are encouraging companies to monitor their supply chain, as well as identify third-party distributors who may be re-selling the technology to Iran.
U.S. companies are not alone in having to closely monitor their supply chains. U-blox, a Swiss semiconductor company, made a statement reinforcing its company policy, which bans the use of its technology in weapons. This was after u-blox GNSS modules were reportedly found in Russian UAVs.
The Army tested the EGI units with enabled M-code on the MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aerial system and validated it to be deployed on military aircraft. This year, the Army will begin migrating its fleet to the Honeywell EAGLE-M EGI with M-code, as this navigation solution enhances the resiliency of GPS navigation to enemy actions.
Image: Honeywell
The defense technology company has delivered more than 300 EGIs with M-code to customers and will deliver qualified units, featuring M-code GPS, to the Army. Honeywell is a leader in EGI for military applications and has provided more than 45,000 EGI units for several different types of aircraft in more than 30 countries.
On Jan. 6, ROCK Robotic, a geospatial company specializing in lidar-based data processing and high-definition mapping, announced the availability of ROCK Base, a triple frequency RTK base station. Additionally, ROCK Robotic has partnered with the Web3 GEODNET initiative to support critical applications in civil surveying, high-definition mapping, digital twin creation and more.
ROCK Base is a resilient, secure, full-constellation GNSS receiver, capable of tracking signals transmitted from GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, and the IRNSS navigation satellite constellations. It includes 1,400 channels, survey-grade antennae, cables and antennae-mounting equipment required to set up a permanent continuously operating reference station location.
To make high-definition mapping more accessible and affordable, ROCK Robotic joined the Web3 GEODNET initiative, the largest decentralized GNSS reference network globally. Under the new partnership, ROCK Robotic customers will have access to the GEODNET base-station network to geo-reference ROCK Robotic’s 3D data products to millimeter-level absolute position accuracy, without setting up ground control points. Additionally, ROCK Base is pre-certified on the GEODNET network.
In October 2022, Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a Raytheon Technologies company, received a $207 million contract from the United States Army for Ku-band radio frequency sensors (KuRFS) and Coyote effectors. The Army plans to equip two of its divisions with KuRFS and Coyote effectors to defend against threats from unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
The KuRFS precision targeting radar and scaled Ku-720 mobile sensing radar provides 360-degree detection, identification and tracking of airborne threats. Coyote Block 2 kinetic and Block 3 non-kinetic effectors can defeat single UAS and swarms at high altitudes and long ranges.
The Army’s Mobile-Low, Slow, Small, Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat System, integrates KuRFS and Coyote effectors with Northrop Grumman’s Forward Area Air Defense Command-and-Control system and Syracuse Research Corporation’s electronic warfare system. This creates a mobile deployed system that provides a complete extended-range defense solution.
In October 2022, Curtiss-Wright Corporation’s Defense Solutions division, a supplier of modular open system approach-based solutions, released the VPX3-673A module. This module is the first to deliver assured position, navigation and timing (A-PNT) along with alternative RF navigation and pntOS architecture.
The VPX3-673A is a rugged, 3U OpenVPX, form factor module, which integrates with existing navigation sensors in vehicles operating in environments with limited or denied access to GPS, to increase assurance in the platform’s PNT solutions. It is designed to ingest positioning and timing data from multiple sensors and output accurate timing and navigation information on the battlefield using VICTORY data messages.
It is compatible with the United States Army’s C5ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards and aligned with the Sensor Open Systems Architecture Technical Standard 1.0.
VPX3-673A includes a low noise chip-scale atomic clock with intelligence provided by Xilinx MPSoc, an alternative RF navigation receiver and a 10-degree of freedom IMU. It supports an internal or external GPS module via a front panel connector. Additionally, the VPX3-673A provides processing resources and sensor interface capabilities needed for operability with a variety of external processing and sensor units.
On Jan. 3, Synaptics released the SYN4778, a small, low power, accurate GNSS integrated circuit for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. SYN4778 is designed to extend battery life, reduce product size, and enhance performance of advanced location-based services for IoT devices, including wearables, mobile accessories, asset tagging and tracking systems, UAVS and transportation navigation.
SYN4778 includes advanced multi-path interference mitigation using L5 band signals from GPS, Galileo, BeiDou, NAVIC, SBAS, and Quasi Zenith Satellite System (QZSS). The chip also uses L1 satellite bands to reduce the time to first fix, as well as the power consumed, improving end-user experience, and enabling product developers to add additional functionality and features to their IoT devices.
This GNSS chip includes LTE jamming and signal filtering, and continuous — highly parallel — search and track of all GNSS channels for greater positioning accuracy for LBS applications, specifically in urban environments. Additionally, it offers support for multiple operating systems and third-party software to enable a broader range of application-optimized IoT devices.
SYN4778 is currently only available to select customers.
Cepton, a Silicon Valley-based lidar solutions company, and ALP.Lab GmbH, an Austrian-based provider of autonomous vehicle testing solutions and TE Connectivity, which produces sensors and connectors, have completed a proof-of-concept project called Periscope. Periscope is a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) solution, which extends a driver’s field of view using lidar sensors installed at intersections to warn of road hazards ahead before they are in view.
The companies created Periscope in response to the global issue of traffic accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists. The V2X solution communicates information about road conditions in real time, providing more time to react, preventing accidents and enhancing overall safety.
For the proof-of-concept project, Cepton provided its Helius Smart Lidar System, which combines lidar sensors with edge computing and perception software to provide real-time, 3D object detection and tracking. TE Connectivity contributed its V2X hardware components in the vehicle used for testing and for the surrounding infrastructure, as well as provided technology for an on-board display of the vehicle’s location and road hazards. ALP.Lab supervised the system integration and testing, while also providing the testing area and infrastructure.
Cepton, ALP.Lab and TE Connectivity are planning to collaborate on further testing this year to confirm Periscope’s initial findings.
On Jan. 5, FocalPoint announced an investment from GM Ventures, and collaboration with General Motors (GM), on the integration of next-generation GPS technology in the automotive industry. This collaboration will explore the deployment of electric and autonomous vehicles and aims to apply FocalPoint’s technologies into future vehicles produced by GM to make navigation more precise, especially in urban environments.
Image: FocalPoint
FocalPoint’s Supercorrelation is designed to increase positioning accuracy in urban environments and is highly resilient to spoofing attacks. It will be integrated into GM vehicles to provide more accurate navigation. The goal of the integration is to enhance and expand GM’s Super Cruise, and upcoming Ultra Cruise, hands-free, driving assistance technology.
Supercorrelation is already licensed to u-blox and is in advanced trials with other major manufacturers including Molten Ventures, Greshham House, Passion Capital, IQ Capital, Cambridge Angels and more.
In 2022, the Galileo GNSS continued to provide the world’s most precise satellite navigation information, to a user base that stands at more than 3.5 billion worldwide. Furthermore, provided services continue to improve and expand, with plans for high-accuracy positioning and signal authentication now reaching fruition.
The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) continue to enjoy an effective collaboration on the many development, deployment, and evolution activities of the Galileo Programme — each according to their respective responsibilities for service provision and system development with the European Commission (EC) acting as the program manager.
Ranging accuracy performance from January to September 2022.Positioning-related MPLS from January to October 2022.
New Services Launched in 2022
Excellent Performance
Service delivery operations and maintenance of operational systems are managed by EUSPA, which supervises many contracts that carry out the day-to-day activities from dedicated control and monitoring centers throughout Europe. In 2022, Galileo timing, navigation, and SAR/Galileo services were delivered with excellent performances that continue to exceed the formal declarations for minimum performance levels (MPL), which were increased in January, both in terms of absolute accuracy and overall service availability. The entry into service of two additional satellites in May and August, have further consolidated the overall service availability to end users.
Galileo FOC Batch 3 satellite under testing.
Expansion of Service Portfolio
The service provision teams have been able to focus on improvements to, and expansion of, the service portfolio.
The I/NAV improvement will positively impact end users by enabling a faster time to first fix, and updates to the data validity status flags will lead to better protection of users against expired navigation data. These changes are implemented in updates of the onboard software of the satellites being rolled out across the constellation. At present, seven operational satellites have been successfully updated; the complete software upgrade campaign is planned to be completed this summer.
Galileo’s new High Accuracy Service will provide free precise point positioning (PPP) corrections, in the Galileo E6-B data component and by terrestrial means, for Galileo and GPS (single and multi-frequency) to achieve real-time user position improved by up to 10 times. The infrastructure to support an initial service (Phase 1) is nearing completion, and the formal declaration of the service capabilities is planned for early this year.
To provide users with a method of authenticating the received Galileo signals, especially the satellites ephemerides and the Galileo timing parameters, the new Open ServiceNavigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) service enables a receiver to confirm that a navigation message originated from the EU Galileo infrastructure. Many application areas are expected to benefit from this capability, including smart tachographs, telematics and logistics, UAVs, location-based services, and timing services. Having successfully demonstrated the technology behind the service in 2022, including a public observation phase, the roll-out of the Initial Service is planned to take place by the end of the year.
A fourth Medium Earth Orbit Local User Terminal (MEOLUT) in La Réunion will extend the SAR/Galileo Forward Link Service Coverage Area over the Indian Ocean as part of the SAR/Galileo full operational capability (FOC) declaration expected in the first quarter of 2023. The Cospas-Sarsat commissioning of this new station was completed in September 2022, and operational data is already being distributed to Cospas-Sarsat.
Reference documents for the above services can be found at the EUSPA European GNSS Service Centre website, including technical notes, interface control documents and service declaration documents.
SAR/Galileo-related metrics from January to October 2022.Extension of the SAR/Galileo Forward Link Service Coverage Area over the Indian Ocean.
FOC Infrastructure Development Nears Completion
Satellite Production
The production of the third batch of Galileo FOC satellites advanced further in 2022 with the completion of the environmental tests and the system compatibility test campaigns at the European Space Agency Test Centre in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. After 10 years of successful testing, on Oct.18, 2022, the last Galileo FOC satellite (flight model number 34) left the test center to return to the premises of the satellite manufacturer, OHB Systems, in Germany. Testing of the remaining 10 satellites has confirmed that they have been correctly built and will perform well in orbit. The acceptance review of the last couple of satellites will take place this summer.
At the beginning of 2023, the plan is to start in-orbit testing of a quasi-pilot signal on the E5 frequency using the Galileo GSAT201/202 satellites in elliptical orbit. The provision of a signal offering coarse acquisition in Galileo E5-A/GPS L5 can be a distinguishing feature for Galileo with respect to all other constellations to further improve the capability to acquire the E5 signal at low complexity. Following in-orbit testing, the strategy for roll-out of this capability will be assessed with the involvement of receiver manufacturers.
New SAR Galileo MEOLUT facility in Réunion island.
Access to Space
The discontinuation of Soyuz launch services from the Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana, because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, has caused delays in the two Galileo launches that had been planned for 2022. The Launch 12 campaign had to be interrupted and in March 2022 the FM25 and 26 satellites were put in storage at the Kourou launch base, then returned to Europe in November.
Ariane 6 is the baseline launcher for Galileo satellites to ensure European independent access to space. The remaining Batch 3 satellites will be launched with the Ariane 62 launcher vehicle, the two strap-on solid booster variants of Ariane 6, now undergoing the final stages of development led by prime contractor Ariane Group. Ariane 6’s maiden flight is scheduled to take place in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Ground Segment
An upgrade of the ground control segment, in charge of command and control of the satellite constellation, is being developed by the industrial consortium led by GMV. The upgrades will address resolution of hardware and software obsolescence including cyber security, operability improvements, and a security monitoring overlay.
With the planned increase in the number of satellites in orbit, an additional telemetry tracking and control facility (TTCF) is being deployed in Kourou leading to seven operational TTCF stations in early 2023.
The ground mission segment, in charge of navigation control, is undergoing a complete technological refresh, including hardware/software virtualization performed by an industrial consortium led by Thales France. This upgrade will provide additional robustness, including a system extended contingency mode resilient to outages lasting up to seven days and a new state-of-the-art cyber security monitoring system. It will also provide ranging authentication through encrypted codes on the E6-C signal component for the implementation of the Commercial Authentication Service. Global coverage will be further increased with the introduction of two Galileo sensor stations in Wallis (Pacific Ocean) and Bonaire (Caribbean Sea), for a total of 15 sites around the globe.
OSNMA-related metrics from January to October 2022.
G2G Development Started
Galileo’s second generation (G2G) will introduce many innovative technologies to offer unprecedented precision, robustness, and flexibility.
2022 was a key year for the evolution of G2G activities with the fast development cycles of the first batch of G2 satellites, beginning development of the associated G2G in orbit validation (IOV) ground segment and system test beds, and the consolidation of the G2G final system capabilities — including the coordination of the mission/service roadmaps with the EC, EUSPA, and the EU Member States delegates.
Ariane 62 launcher.
G2G Satellite Manufacturing
From the satellite development point of view, the two parallel contracts to develop and manufacture each of the six G2G batch one (G2SB1) satellites are progressing in a fast development environment, with the first hardware units ready for integration and testing.
Following the completion of preliminary design review, these two contracts (for six satellites each) are preparing for unit-level validation/testing, which will lead to the critical design review.
These satellites will provide the following key innovations:
Reconfigurable fully digital navigation payload
Point-to-point connection between satellites by inter-satellite-link for command and control, and ranging functionalities
Electric propulsion for orbit-raising capabilities
Advanced jamming and spoofing protection mechanisms to safeguard.
The Galileo signals will improve with:
On-board authentication capabilities
Increased ground-to-space data rate
Improved time reference (number of clocks and advanced clock monitoring functions).
G2G IOV Procurements
2022 was also the year in which two key events took place with respect to G2G in-orbit validation (IOV) ground segment and system test bed procurements:
Finalization of the procurement cycle, now in the final evaluation/award phase, to be kicked off in the first quarter of this year
Confirmation of the IOV design through different coordinated actions with the EC and EUSPA, including the G2 system preliminary design review.
The contracts will provide Europe with the following capabilities:
G2SB1 satellite launch and early orbit phase, in-orbit testing and enhanced legacy services provision
G2 new capabilities in-orbit validation, including prototyping and validation of all the novel technologies that can exploit the full capabilities of the G2SB1 satellites.
Eleven contracts will be issued to manage in synchrony all the G1 and G2 assets for the coming years:
G2 IOV ground control segment (G2 GCS) for satellites monitoring and control
G2 IOV ground mission segment/secured facility (G2 GMS-GSF) for the production, dissemination and monitoring of all enhanced legacy services and the dissemination of new G2 advanced capabilities for validation
G2 IOV security monitoring (G2 SECMON), for the cyber/security monitoring of the system
G2 filling device (G2 FD), to ensure proper initialization of system assets
G2 system test bed (G2STB), to generate and monitor new G2 capabilities for validation of the G2G mission/services
G2 PRS test bed (G2PRSTB), similar to G2 system test bed but focused on advanced PRS capabilities for validation purposes
G2 security chain (G2SC), a test bed to ensure proper satellite-ground segment qualification before launch
Four system engineering support contracts (G2 SETA), where the main GNSS technical experts from different industries in Europe provide their support to ESA and EUSPA in their different fields of expertise.
These contracts are complemented by a significant set of system research and development and test tools, such as test user receivers and radio frequency constellation simulators.
G2G batch number one (G2SB1) satellites.
Galileo Second Generation System PDR
The Galileo Programme is not only focusing on short-term G2G development activities, but also looking forward to the future in terms of the consolidation and definition of G2G final operation capabilities. During the second half of 2022, more than 200 public representatives from the EC, EUSPA, ESA and Member States held countless meetings in the frame of the G2G system preliminary design review, which concluded in early December 2022.
As part of this review, the long-term implementation (G2G in orbit capability, or IOC, and final operational capability, or FOC) was reviewed and an agreement was reached on future steps. The evolution of Galileo capabilities will not only provide better services through advanced technical solutions, but will also ensure continuity of service and enhanced backward compatibility for first-generation legacy users.
Conclusions
The efforts of ESA and EUSPA continue with the aim of providing users continuous and stable services and evolving space and ground infrastructure to maintain Galileo competitiveness with the other global navigation satellite systems.
For analogous updates on the other three GNSS constellations, please see:
