NV5 is celebrating two decades of delivering critical geospatial services to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
For the past 20 years, NV5 has completed more than 220 contracts across 30 states, covering more than 50,000 square miles. These projects involve topobathymetric surface modeling of shorelines, bays, estuaries, lakes, wetlands, rivers and streams to provide detailed data for various applications. The information generated helps NOAA protect and restore natural resources and habitats, update nautical charts and understand the effects of environmental and human-induced changes over time.
A screenshot from the NOAA ENC Viewer of the updated nautical chart of southern Lake Michigan, created using multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data. (Photo: NOAA)
The company employs airborne remote sensing technologies, such as topobathymetric laser scanning, to capture near real-time changes in nearshore topography and bathymetry. Additionally, NV5 integrates marine vessel-based technologies, such as multibeam echo sounding, to map offshore bathymetry, including sand resources, essential fish habitats and historic shipwrecks.
“Our collaborations with NOAA over the past 20 years have yielded many important insights and baseline data that helps the agency with its core mission of climate monitoring, coastal restoration and supporting marine commerce – all of which supports our nation’s economic vitality and affects more than one-third of America’s gross domestic product,” Dave Bernstein, vice president of hydrospatial operations at NV5, said.
The National Geodetic Survey Remote Sensing Division’s Coastal Mapping Program requires the collection of airborne topographic/bathymetric lidar and digital camera imagery data to enable accurate and consistent measurement of the national shoreline following Hurricane Sandy’s landfall. (Photo: NV5)
In one notable project, NV5 conducted a large-scale hydrographic survey in southern Lake Michigan for NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey. The survey covered 481 square nautical miles from northeast Chicago to Michigan City, Indiana — an area that had not been surveyed since the late 1940s. Using multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data, NV5 updated NOAA nautical charting products to improve maritime safety along the Michigan, Indiana and Illinois shorelines. Under NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management contract, NV5 also provided certified hydrographer expertise aboard the Pisces (R226), a NOAA fisheries research vessel. These efforts included overseeing the collection and processing of hydrographic data for marine habitat mapping.
A view looking south at the Submarine Canyon on Asan Point, Guam. The image was created from the lidar bare earth model and lidar point cloud colored by elevation and RGB values from imagery respectively. (Photo: Partnership between NV5 and Woolpert)
NV5 has also contributed to NOAA’s Coastal Change Analysis Program through projects that utilized aerial multispectral imagery and machine learning techniques. In Rhode Island, NV5 partnered with the National Estuarine Research Reserve System to study salt marsh habitats and produce change mapping products.
A view looking northeast from Virginia Key shows the topobathymetric surface of the intertidal zone near Fisher Island, Florida. (Photo: Nicholas Klein / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images)
Similarly, high-resolution land cover products were created for Brown County, Wisconsin, and key watersheds to assess urban growth, map wetlands, delineate wildlife habitats and monitor land cover changes over time. Other initiatives include mapping eelgrass habitats along coastal Massachusetts using multispectral aerial imagery and analyzing satellite imagery for wetland changes in the Great Lakes region.
Through these diverse projects, NV5 continues to provide NOAA with essential geospatial data that supports its mission of environmental stewardship and maritime safety while contributing to national economic vitality.
Swift Navigation‘s Skylark Precise Positioning Service now offers continuous two-centimeter accuracy across Western Europe, enabling the deployment of reliable consumer robots and digital mapping solutions.
Autonomous robots and field mapping applications require precise positioning to operate efficiently; traditional RTK solutions can often struggle, forcing robotics manufacturers to use local base stations or fragmented networks, which can lead to coverage gaps and inconsistent performance. Field teams in utilities and construction also require survey-grade accuracy without the high costs of professional equipment.
Skylark addresses these issues by delivering accuracy across geographic areas, eliminating the need for base stations or switching between providers. Skylark uses a proprietary atmospheric model that compensates for ionospheric and tropospheric effects in real-time. The carrier-grade network, operated by mobile network providers, ensures reliability across regions.
Skylark is available in three variants — Nx RTK, Cx, and Dx — designed to meet varying requirements for accuracy, power consumption, data transmission and cost. The Skylark Nx RTK delivers one-to-two centimeter accuracy across 28 countries in Western Europe and seven countries in Eastern Europe. Compatible with standard RTK receivers and supported by portals for credential management, licensing and usage analytics, Skylark Nx RTK integrates high-precision positioning into existing devices and workflows.
The latest historic chapter in GNSS for space users was launched, as one would expect, at an Institute of Navigation (ION) GNSS+ conference — the one in Miami in 2019 — by a handful of technical and policy experts well positioned to “Go for the Gold” — GNSS on the moon! Thus, liquid refreshments in hand, the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) concept was born, amongst excited discussion and scribbling on napkins by Oscar Pozzobon (Qascom), Joel Parker (NASA), Frank Bauer (NASA), Alberto Tuozzi (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana or ASI, Italian Space Agency), Lisa Valencia (NASA) and James “JJ” Miller (NASA).
Long before this productive, informal brainstorming session, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), such as the U.S. GPS, were originally designed for use on or near Earth, providing positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services up to an altitude of about 3,000 km (the GPS Terrestrial Service Volume). Over the decades, experimental missions pushed GNSS use higher, and by 2006, GPS specifications defined a Space Service Volume, extending GNSS services out to 36,000 km (geosynchronous orbit). NASA missions then deftly demonstrated GNSS utility well beyond Earth orbit — notably in 2019 with the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission spacecraft formation, which successfully tracked GPS signals roughly 192,500 km from Earth, setting the world record for farthest and fastest reception of any GNSS signals in the space domain.
Building on this success, NASA proposed conducting the LuGRE in 2020 by using a combination of GPS and Europe’s Galileo signals at lunar distances. The flight opportunity for a lunar mission came through NASA’s new Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, and by early 2021, Firefly Aerospace was awarded the mission to carry LuGRE to the moon. The LuGRE team was very fortunate from the start, competing for and winning the last of 10 payload slots, and the only space operations flight demonstration amongst nine other science payloads focused more on assessing the lunar environment.
The progress of this initiative reflects a broader national and international push based on NASA’s role in implementing the 2021 U.S. Space Policy Directive-7, which directs NASA to work with the U.S. Space Force and other partners to extend GNSS capabilities farther into cislunar space to benefit both government and commercial users. Internationally, GNSS providers further cooperate through the UN-sponsored International Committee on GNSS to develop interoperable PNT standards for space users beyond Earth. So, ASI was a natural fit to become NASA’s international partner. The Italian GNSS company Qascom was awarded the receiver development, while the Polytechnic of Turin provided academic support. This historic groundwork has thus set the stage for the recent LuGRE mission to achieve several accomplishments in lunar navigation, breaking three world records in the process.
Mission overview: Blue Ghost Lander and CLPS
The LuGRE payload traveled to the moon aboard Blue Ghost Mission 1, a robotic lunar lander built by Firefly Aerospace under NASA’s CLPS program. CLPS, started in 2018, is a public-private partnership model through which NASA contracts commercial landers to deliver science and technology payloads to the lunar surface. Blue Ghost Mission 1 launched on Jan. 15, 2025, via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and touched down on March 2, 2025. This made Firefly the first U.S. commercial company to successfully land on the moon upright, delivering 10 NASA-sponsored payloads, including LuGRE. The lander targeted a site near Mons Latreille in Mare Crisium, achieving a precision landing within ~100 m of the aim point. Built as a solar-powered lander about 2 m tall and 3.5 m wide, Blue Ghost was designed for a mission duration of one lunar day (~14 Earth days). By leveraging CLPS, NASA rapidly deployed LuGRE and other instruments, demonstrating the effectiveness of commercial partnerships in advancing lunar exploration. Blue Ghost’s successful landing and operations validated this approach and set the stage for upcoming CLPS missions in support of Artemis.
The LuGRE payload: Objectives and components
LuGRE is a technology demonstration aimed at determining whether Earth-originated GNSS signals can be reliably received and used for navigation at the moon’s distance. The payload was jointly developed by NASA and ASI with engineering by Qascom. Hardware on LuGRE includes a specialized weak-signal GNSS receiver, a high-gain L-band patch antenna array with RF filtering and a low-noise amplifier. This design allows it to track faint GPS and Galileo signals nearly 400,000 km from their transmitters. LuGRE specifically listens on multiple frequencies — GPS L1 and L5, and Galileo E1 and E5a — to maximize signal acquisition opportunities. The experiment’s objectives are threefold: (1) acquire and characterize GNSS signals in lunar orbit and on the surface, (2) demonstrate navigation fixes (position/time) using those signals at the moon, and (3) return data to inform the development of future lunar-specific GNSS receivers. All three of LuGRE’s objectives were met. During the mission, LuGRE began collecting and processing data en route to the moon (during a ~45-day transit) and also on the lunar surface after landing. As one of the first demonstrations of GNSS use on another world, LuGRE set out to prove that combined GPS/Galileo signals could enable autonomous navigation for spacecraft far beyond Earth.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 lander prepares for a launch to the moon on Jan. 14, 2025, from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Photo: NASA / Kim Shiflett)
Benefits of GNSS for lunar PNT
If proven reliable, GNSS-based navigation at the moon offers significant benefits for future lunar missions. First, it provides a common PNT framework for lunar explorers, akin to GPS on Earth, enabling precise real-time positioning and time synchronization for astronauts and robotic systems. This could allow lunar crews and rovers to navigate autonomously across the surface without constant ground support, reducing astronaut workload and dependence on Earth-based tracking. Accurate GNSS-derived position data improves safety and efficiency — for example, helping rovers avoid hazards and chart optimal routes or aiding astronauts in pinpointing resources, such as water, ice or scientific targets. Using existing GNSS signals also means that missions might rely less on cumbersome radio tracking from Earth or lunar beacons, simplifying mission operations.
In the long run, GNSS technology can support the development of lunar infrastructure: future base camps, power stations and landing pads could all reference a shared navigation grid, much as terrestrial infrastructure does. Additionally, leveraging well-known GPS/Galileo signals could reduce costs and technical risks, supplementing a proposed new lunar navigation satellite network.
LuGRE’s results have affirmed these possibilities. During transit, LuGRE broke records by tracking signals at 395,900 km out in lunar orbit, proving multi-constellation GNSS can aid navigation to and around the moon. Shortly after landing, it further demonstrated an autonomous GNSS navigation fix on the lunar surface, 362,100 km from Earth. These achievements suggest that even existing Earth-centric satnav can be extended to serve lunar exploration, a promising development for upcoming Artemis endeavors.
Challenges of GNSS reception on the moon
Adapting GNSS to the lunar environment is challenging. The main difficulty is the weakness of signals by the time they reach the moon. GNSS satellites orbit around 20,000 km from Earth, beaming most of their signal power toward Earth’s surface. At nearly 10 times that distance, only the spillover (side-lobe) signals reach the moon, arriving attenuated and sparse. This necessitates high-sensitivity receivers and high-gain antennas (such as LuGRE’s) to even detect the signals, along with sophisticated algorithms to pull meaningful data from the noise. The geometry and coverage also pose issues: a receiver on the moon will often see a limited number of GNSS satellites above its horizon, potentially affecting the accuracy and availability of navigation fixes. Local lunar conditions add further complications. The moon’s lack of atmosphere means no ionospheric delay, which is a positive for signal clarity. However, it also means that there is nothing to refract or scatter signals over the horizon — thus, terrain plays a crucial role. Rugged topography (mountains, crater rims) can block line-of-sight to GNSS satellites, and deep craters or polar shadowed regions might have very poor reception.
The pervasive lunar dust (regolith) can also be problematic because it may coat antenna surfaces or contribute electromagnetic noise, especially during landings or surface activities. These factors require advanced processing techniques and possibly integrating GNSS with other sensors to achieve reliable navigation. LuGRE’s design and operations were tailored to confront these challenges. For instance, using dual constellations doubles the pool of satellites and signals available, and collecting data both in orbit and on the surface helps characterize how signal quality changes in different lunar conditions. The knowledge gained will guide the development of next-generation lunar GNSS receivers with improved robustness against weak signals and intermittent coverage.
Firefly aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 lander is carrying 10 NASA science and technology instruments to the moon as part of NASA’s CLPS initiative and Artemis campaign. (Photo: Firefly Aerospace)
Implications for Artemis and deep space navigation
LuGRE’s success is a proof of concept that navigation aids from Earth can directly support moon missions. This is of immediate relevance to NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon and establish a sustained presence there. Artemis crewed vehicles (such as the Orion spacecraft) and the planned Gateway lunar station could potentially use GNSS signals during transit or in lunar orbit to autonomously determine their trajectories. On the surface, future Artemis astronauts and rovers could carry GNSS-enabled devices to know their precise location without relying solely on Earth-based tracking. This capability will become increasingly important as activities expand — from pinpoint landing of resupply craft, to coordinating lunar base operations to enabling the first long-distance treks by crew or robots on the moon.
By proving GPS/Galileo usability at the moon, LuGRE also paves the way for establishing a standardized lunar reference frame tied to existing GNSS, which all international partners can use for joint operations. In a broader sense, LuGRE is a stepping-stone toward more advanced navigation systems in deep space. It demonstrates techniques (such as combining multiple GNSS constellations and using high-sensitivity receivers) that could inform navigation around Mars or other distant targets. While Earth’s GNSS signals won’t reach Mars with useful strength, the lessons learned can drive the design of Mars-orbiting navigation satellites or better onboard autonomous nav systems for deep-space probes. In essence, the experiment is accelerating the development of a GPS-like interplanetary navigation capability, crucial for humanity’s expansion deeper into the solar system.
A Graphic representation of the relative geometry of Earth-moon-acquired GNSS satellites. (Photo: Agenzia Sapaziale Italiana)
Policy and international collaboration
The LuGRE mission exemplifies how international and commercial partnerships are shaping the future of space exploration. It was born out of a long-running collaboration between NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program and ASI, reflecting a shared strategic interest in extending GNSS interoperability to the moon and beyond. The receiver hardware was developed by Qascom with academic support from Politecnico di Torino, underlining the role of industry and academia in innovation.
This NASA-ASI partnership built on earlier joint projects, such as GNSS receiver experiments on the ISS and suborbital flights, which tested using both GPS and Galileo for space navigation. Europe’s Galileo system, in particular, is a full partner in LuGRE. Its inclusion alongside GPS ensures that the experiment benefits from multi-constellation redundancy and also sends a message of GNSS interoperability, a key principle endorsed by the International Committee on GNSS. On the policy front, the mission aligns with U.S. space policy goals to develop services in cislunar space and encourages momentum in international standardization of lunar PNT frameworks.
Data from LuGRE will be made public, contributing to global research and possibly the drafting of new standards for lunar navigation that any nation’s spacecraft can adopt. The CLPS program itself, which enabled LuGRE’s delivery, represents a policy shift toward commercial sourcing of lunar services — fostering a market where companies such as Firefly, intuitive Machines, Astrobotic and others compete and cooperate to advance lunar science. As NASA leads the Artemis coalition with agencies from Europe, Asia and beyond, the LuGRE experiment offers a tangible product of cooperation: a foundation for shared navigation infrastructure at the moon. This collaborative, forward-looking approach will be critical as humanity returns to the moon not just to visit, but to stay.
Conclusion
LuGRE on Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander has marked a milestone in space exploration: it demonstrated for the first time that navigational signals conceived for Earth can be harnessed on the lunar surface. By uniting cutting-edge technical work (in receivers and antennas) with visionary policy support (via NASA’s CLPS and international GNSS cooperation), LuGRE showcases a path toward robust, autonomous navigation for the Artemis generation of missions. Achieving a GPS/Galileo fix on the moon is more than a symbolic first — it is a practical step toward a future where astronauts and robots navigate the moon — and one day Mars — with the same confidence as we do on Earth. The lessons from LuGRE will inform how we guide our spacecraft across the cislunar void, how we set up the positioning networks of tomorrow’s lunar bases and how nations cooperating can build the navigation backbone for a new era of deep-space exploration. In short, LuGRE has opened the door for GNSS to become an integral part of the lunar toolkit, blending technology and policy into a giant leap for navigation beyond Earth.
STMicroelectronics has partnered with Segway to enhance its latest range of robotic lawnmowers. The collaboration integrates precision positioning and extended satellite-signal coverage, designed to improve operational efficiency and safety.
Reliable satellite navigation is essential for robotic lawnmowers that operate without boundary wires. These devices must autonomously navigate safely, even in areas where tall buildings or trees obstruct satellite signals. Uninterrupted satellite signal coverage is critical for functioning at the edge of stairs or steep slopes.
STMicroelectronics’ Teseo satellite navigation chips — with automotive-grade quality and reliability — are well-suited for robotic lawnmowers. These chips enable decimeter-level location accuracy, ensuring the mower remains within its designated field perimeter.
Segway’s recently launched Navimow X3 robotic lawnmowers incorporate ST’s Teseo V single-chip triple-band GNSS receivers. These receivers track multiple satellite constellations simultaneously, delivering superior performance in challenging environments. The real-time kinematic (RTK) technique further corrects satellite signal errors, ensuring stable operation in complex layouts such as properties with narrow passageways or multiple mowing zones. The company said that compared to earlier models, Segway reports a 20 to 30% increase in satellite signal coverage with ST’s technology.
Technical specifications include ST’s STA8135GA GNSS receiver from the Teseo V family. This automotive-qualified chip integrates triple-band positioning measurement and dead-reckoning features within a compact package. On-chip voltage regulators simplify power supply selection, further enhancing design efficiency.
Rx Networks has introduced TruePoint | FOCUS, a high-precision, cloud-based GNSS correction service that offers instantaneous centimeter-level accuracy for a variety of applications. This service is designed to address the needs of industries requiring real-time precision, such as micro-mobility, smart agriculture, robotics, UAVs, IoT and machine control.
TruePoint | FOCUS supports both Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) and PPP-RTK modes to offer flexibility and high performance. The RTK mode is hardware-agnostic, ensuring compatibility with any RTK-enabled GNSS receiver. It uses standard correction protocols like RTCM v3 and supports access via NTRIP for seamless integration and rapid deployment. The PPP-RTK mode leverages State Space Representation (SSR) to deliver high-accuracy positioning with optimized bandwidth usage. This mode combines the benefits of global coverage from PPP with the fast convergence times of RTK, making it suitable for applications requiring seamless operation over large areas.
The service is notable for its ability to process more GNSS signals than many competing solutions, enhancing its resilience and performance in challenging environments. It supports signals from GPS, Galileo and BeiDou constellations, offering comprehensive correction capabilities. According to the company, TruePoint | FOCUS guarantees consistent centimeter-level accuracy with a 99.9% service level agreement, ensuring reliability for users operating in regions such as North America, Europe and China.
TruePoint | FOCUS is available for trial in both RTK and PPP-RTK modes across covered regions, with plans to expand its geographic reach. Interested users can request a complimentary 30-day trial license to evaluate the service.
The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command and Space Operations Command are preparing to launch the National Security Space Launch GPS III-7 mission, designated Space Vehicle 08, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The launch is planned to take place from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, no earlier than late May 2025.
This mission follows the successful Rapid Response Trailblazer launch in December 2024 and represents another accelerated effort. It involves a coordinated operation across multiple Space Force organizations to retrieve a GPS III satellite from storage, integrate it with the launch vehicle, and prepare it for launch on a compressed timeline.
The GPS III satellite is equipped with M-Code technology, which offers three times greater accuracy and eight times more resistance to jamming compared to earlier systems. This capability aims to enhance Precision, Navigation, and Timing services for the Joint Force, ensuring modernized support for military operations.
This effort builds on lessons learned from the previous Rapid Response Trailblazer mission and demonstrates the Space Force’s ability to reduce standard launch preparation timelines. While such preparations typically require up to 24 months, this mission is set to be completed within three months.
Mission Delta 31 of Space Operations Command is overseeing pre-launch processing in collaboration with Lockheed Martin in Colorado. On April 2, 2025, the satellite was transported to Florida aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III and is now undergoing final preparations for launch. Col. Andrew Menschner, commander of Mission Delta 31, emphasized the teamwork involved in rapidly deploying an M-Code-capable satellite and advancing traditional launch timelines.
Key aspects of this mission include space vehicle-to-launch vehicle integration, satellite control preparation, and expedited contracting efforts.
The satellite is named in honor of Katherine Johnson, whose mathematical contributions were pivotal to early U.S. spaceflight missions. Once operational, it will enhance communication capabilities critical to national security and align with the Secretary of Defense’s strategic objectives by supporting military readiness with anti-jamming technology.
Septentrio, a division of Hexagon, has introduced two new products, the AsteRx RB3 GNSS receiver and the AsteRx RBi3 GNSS/INS system. These receivers are designed to operate in extreme environments, featuring IP69K-rated housings and components that have undergone rigorous ISO-standard testing.
The technologies robust construction ensures durability under heavy shocks, vibrations and challenging environmental conditions, making them suitable for demanding applications such as construction, mining and port automation.
The AsteRx RB3 and RBi3 utilize multi-frequency GNSS technology to deliver precise, centimeter-level positioning even in environments where GNSS signals are typically difficult to maintain. The receivers can be mounted externally on heavy machinery or integrated into chassis systems, offering flexibility in placement and simplifying installation.
The AsteRx RBi3 incorporates FUSE+ technology, which combines a high-performance GNSS engine with an industrial-grade inertial sensor. This integration provides accurate orientation data — such as heading, pitch and roll — alongside reliable positioning. In dual-antenna configurations, the receivers deliver sub-degree GNSS heading accuracy immediately upon initialization.
The AsteRx RB3 and RBi3 are ideal for machine guidance in industries requiring rugged equipment capable of maintaining precision under extreme conditions.
On March 27, 2025, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched a proceeding on commercial technologies that would complement GPS. “Although GPS is indispensable to America’s economic and national security, it represents a single point of failure that can be vulnerable to disruption or manipulation by our adversaries,” said the FCC’s announcement, highlighting the federal government’s bipartisan call to develop complementary systems that provide positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) data to to better achieve PNT resilience nationwide and protect America’s economic and national security.
The Security Industry Association (SIA) commends the FCC’s commitment to protecting America’s economic and national security and exploring available PNT options. We believe the docket will show that there is a wide array of PNT technologies that can complement to GPS, and we look forward to providing information to the Commission about tradeoffs among these emerging PNT offerings and encouraging the Commission to avoid taking action that could disproportionately disrupt valuable public safety technologies.
One company, the for-profit entity NextNav, has petitioned the FCC to reconfigure the 902-928 MHz band (the Lower 900 MHz frequency) and grant it a nationwide license for 15 MHz of spectrum so it can establish a 5G terrestrial-based PNT network. NextNav also seeks the removal of the current requirement that it not cause unacceptable levels of interference to Part 15 devices. These devices include low-power, radio frequency (RF) devices ranging from consumer electronics and appliances to wireless alarm systems, smart home equipment, electronic access control devices and a wide range of devices used to increase economic productivity and efficiency, bolster safety, deliver innovation and provide other important benefits to consumers. This proposal has a dangerous likelihood of causing significant interference in the band that would be adverse to the public interest and threaten public safety.
The Lower 900 MHz band is vital for millions of security cameras, including popular models used in homes and small businesses. These devices are essential for protecting homes, preventing package theft and home intrusions, ensuring children’s safety and aiding law enforcement by capturing criminal activity. The changes proposed by NextNav would likely force these incumbent users into a shared portion of spectrum that is almost 60% smaller than the current Lower 900 MHz band — crowding that will cause many devices to stop operating reliably, compromising Americans’ safety and the security of our facilities and communities, and will be exacerbated by the growing concentration of devices using new technologies that require more spectrum bandwidth.
Another important service likely to be disrupted by the proposed band restructuring would be Z-Wave technologies. Z-Wave technology enables comprehensive home automation and security solutions —such as smart locks, thermostats and security systems — to integrate seamlessly with various smart home devices, while preserving advanced security features such as encrypted communication and secure inclusion. Z-Wave devices are not designed to withstand interference from fixed and/or mobile devices operating at commercial macro power limits and out-of-band emission limits, such as those in NextNav’s proposed high-power operations.
Additionally, millions of electronic access control and other wireless connected devices that are now in use in residential, institutional, commercial and government buildings across the United States would be impacted. The interference generated from NextNav’s higher-power communications would significantly impact the reliability of these important safety and security products and ecosystems, effectively making them unusable in the same spectrum.
In addition to these public safety and security uses, more critical systems that could be disrupted include:
Municipal infrastructure, including such systems as traffic control, street lighting, weather monitors and flood warning systems that are deployed in this band to make communities safer and more energy efficient.
Critical infrastructure, including utilities’ use of the band for remote monitoring and management of power, gas and water distribution networks.
Railroad operations and safety, including the Automatic Equipment Identification network that enables tracking of rail cars and equipment, as well as essential traffic control, sensors and other devices necessary for operational safety and efficiency.
Highway infrastructure and tolling, including the operation of electronic tolling systems, such as E-ZPass and other similar toll collection systems.
Retail, manufacturing and supply chain operations, including building control systems, tank and leak monitoring system and inventory control systems.
Agriculture solutions used for connecting modern farms’ Internet of Things devices and equipment to keep our farms connected.
As other concerned parties have pointed out, there are a number of existing backup GPS options available to establish a terrestrial PNT without any reallocation of spectrum. While a backup GPS system is ultimately necessary, the other solutions that would be much less disruptive. The tradeoffs required by implementing the NextNav proposal are simply not worth the risk to our nation’s security and safety.
Thales Alenia Space — a joint venture between Thales and Leonardo — has secured a €51 million ($56 million) contract from the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) to extend the operational life of the European Satellite-Based Augmentation System (EGNOS).
Named Life Extension Phase 1 (LIFEX), this contract will ensure that EGNOS V2 continues to provide reliable, secure and high-performance navigation services for Europe’s aviation, maritime, land transport, mapping and agricultural sectors beyond 2028.
EGNOS system is designed to enhance the accuracy, reliability and integrity of positioning signals by improving the performance of GNSS, such as GPS and, in the future, Galileo. As part of this contract, Thales Alenia Space will address EGNOS V2 critical system upgrades and infrastructure improvements, reinforcing the system’s resilience and operational durability. These updates will focus on enhancing security measures, modernizing components, and ensuring the ongoing reliability of EGNOS’s Safety of Life Service, which plays a key role in aviation, enabling accurate approaches at European airports without requiring ground guidance systems. Operational since 2011, this service has significantly improved operational safety and efficiency for the greater benefit of European operators.
Sierra Space has successfully demonstrated its Resilient GPS (R-GPS) technology for the U.S. Space Force (USSF). This milestone, achieved in collaboration with General Dynamics Mission Systems, involved generating all GPS navigation signals required for the R-GPS mission. The technology seeks to address the growing need for resilient GPS systems capable of countering threats such as jamming and spoofing, which pose risks to the current GPS infrastructure.
GPS technology is integral to modern life, supporting civilian applications from smartphone navigation to critical military operations. However, as adversarial threats become increasingly advanced, there is a pressing need to enhance GPS resilience. To tackle this challenge, the USSF’s Quick Start program is focused on integrating smaller, cost-effective satellites into the existing GPS framework. These satellites would provide a rapidly deployable layer of protection against emerging threats, according to the USSF.
The demonstration evaluated hardware, firmware, and software performance, including the generation of P(Y), M-code and C/A signals at L1 and L2 frequencies. These capabilities ensure that R-GPS satellites can produce accurate and secure navigation signals compatible with devices used globally.
Sierra Space was awarded an R-GPS contract by the USSF Space Systems Command in September 2024 to develop design concepts for smaller and more affordable satellites. Following an internal Systems Requirements Review later that year, the company has now demonstrated its technological capabilities within months of the program’s inception.
Atlas, a European cloud-based GIS platform, has introduced several new features aimed at simplifying geospatial workflows for teams without requiring coding expertise. The centerpiece of this launch is the Workflows engine, which allows users to visually design and automate spatial analysis processes — such as filtering data, performing calculations and updating layers — without writing code. By streamlining these tasks into automated chains, the feature seeks to reduce the time and effort traditionally spent on repetitive scripting.
Relations, a feature designed to connect datasets for smarter app development, enables users to link related data points, such as inspections or measurements, directly within the platform. Atlas also released Forms, a tool for structured field data collection, and Mobile Views, which allows users to build interactive mobile map applications. These tools aim to provide comprehensive geospatial capabilities for teams, eliminating the need for specialized development resources.
The Atlas platform offers real-time collaboration and no-code solutions for spatial analysis, automation, and app building. It as more than 10,000 users in 172 countries.
SBG Systems has unveiled its MEMS-based North-seeking inertial measurement unit (IMU) that operates independently of GNSS. According to the company, this launch lays the foundation for future products, such as attitude and heading reference systems (AHRS) and inertial navigation systems (INS), broadening the scope of MEMS-based navigation solutions.
The MEMS-based IMU can achieve a heading accuracy greater than 1° secant latitude without GNSS assistance. When integrated with GNSS and SBG Systems’ navigation algorithms, it can achieve INS heading accuracy greater than 0.01°.
The device features a true MEMS-based design with no moving parts, eliminating the need for carouseling mechanisms. This ensures enhanced durability and reliability across a wide range of operating environments.
Key features of this IMU include its compact size, low weight and minimal power consumption. Measuring 52 x 52 x 36 mm and weighing less than 150 g, it consumes only 2 watts of power. Designed for high-volume production, the device is well-suited for widespread adoption across industries. Additionally, its robust design offers long-term reliability in demanding conditions, and its ITAR-free status allows unrestricted global deployment.
SBG Systems has also developed new algorithms to enhance gyrocompass and INS alignment performance. These include a pure north-finding algorithm capable of rapid initialization in both static and dynamic conditions within one minute, as well as an advanced GNSS/INS fusion algorithm that delivers exceptional single-antenna heading accuracy even in low-dynamic environments.
It can be used for applications such as marine operations, autonomous systems and georeferencing. The IMU is particularly suited for subsea applications including remotely operated vehicles and autonomous underwater vehicles, as well as geospatial and marine surveying tasks requiring precise single-antenna heading accuracy.
The first off-the-shelf solutions are expected to be available by early 2026.
