GPS World

Category: GNSS

  • Innovation: Laser ranging to GNSS satellites

    Innovation: Laser ranging to GNSS satellites

    Kindred Spirits

    In this article, author Urs Hugentobler looks at the history of laser ranging to navigation satellites, how that ranging has improved the accuracy of the orbits of those satellites and what the future portends for this important contribution to space geodesy.

    <b>INNOVATION INSIGHTS</b> with Richard Langley
    INNOVATION INSIGHTS with Richard Langley

    THE LASER. It might not be in the top 10 of the most important inventions of all time, but Time magazine rated it among the most important developments of the 20th century, listing it fifth after the automobile, the radio, the television and the transistor. Lasers are now ubiquitous: they scan our purchases at the supermarket checkout; they let us read and write data on compact discs; they have replaced the scalpel in many operating theaters; and they play major roles on the battlefield with laser-guided munitions. However, one of the first practical uses of the laser was in precisely determining the orbits of satellites.

    Initial experiments in ranging to satellites carrying corner-cube retroreflectors began in 1964 just a few years after the laser was invented in 1960. Satellite laser ranging (SLR) stations were built in several countries, and a number of multi-instrument satellites with retroreflectors were launched by the U.S. and other nations along with dedicated spherical satellites with no electronic instrumentation — just the retroreflectors covering the satellite’s surface. The first of these was the Laser Geodynamics Satellite, or LAGEOS. It was designed by NASA and launched in 1976. LAGEOS and the other satellites carrying retroreflectors played a significant part in NASA’s Crustal Dynamics Project (CDP). Initiated in 1979, the CDP promoted the use of SLR and very long baseline interferometry to improve our understanding of plate tectonics, the rotational dynamics of the Earth, and the structure of the Earth’s gravity field.

    As a post-doctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later at the University of New Brunswick, I participated in the CDP with analyses of lunar laser ranging (LLR) data. Ranging to reflectors placed on the moon’s surface by Apollo astronauts as well as those on the Russian Lunokhod rovers was a bit more difficult than ranging to satellites given the larger distances to the reflectors and the much weaker return pulses. Among other advances, LLR was the first technique to confirm the existence of variations in the spin of the Earth with a periodicity of around 50 days.

    But let’s get back to SLR. Today, thanks in large measure to the International Laser Ranging Service, ranging data is routinely collected on more than 70 satellites and lunar reflectors. Included is a growing list of GNSS satellites equipped with corner-cube retroreflectors. Laser ranging to GNSS satellites is instrumental is better modeling the orbits of these satellites. Among other benefits, better GNSS satellite orbits result in better receiver position accuracies — accuracies needed to improve monitoring of crustal strain, for example, including that associated with earthquakes.

    In this month’s column, we take a look at the past, present and future of laser ranging to GNSS satellites and how laser ranging and microwave ranging are mutually beneficial. They are truly kindred spirits.

    Nighttime ranging at NASA’s Next Generation SLR system at Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland. (Credit: Felipe Hall/HTSI)

    Satellite laser ranging or SLR has been an indispensable independent tool for validating the precise orbits determined for GNSS satellites using microwave pseudorange and carrier-phase observations for several decades. SLR has allowed researchers to identify several orbit-modeling issues. Adding albedo radiation pressure and antenna thrust, among other effects, into the GPS orbit model allowed them to eliminate the observed bias between microwave- and SLR-derived orbits. For the first Galileo satellites launched, SLR residuals indicated severe orbit modeling issues caused by the different shape of Galileo satellite bodies compared to those of GPS. In the future, all GNSS satellites will be equipped with laser retroreflectors, a big challenge for researchers concerning tracking scenarios and observation planning to make economic use of the ground equipment.

    In this article, we will take a brief look at the history of laser ranging to navigation satellites, how that ranging has improved the accuracy of the orbits of those satellites, and what the future portends for this important contribution to space geodesy.

    VALIDATION OF GNSS ORBITS

    FIGURE 1. Operating principle of satellite laser ranging.

    In 1964, only four years after Theodore Maiman built the first laser, the first laser echoes were obtained from NASA’s Explorer 22 satellite. SLR rapidly developed into an indispensable tool for precise orbit determination, gravity field determination, and Earth system research.

    FIGURE 1 shows the principles of SLR operation. Essentially, an SLR station fires a series of laser pulses at passing satellites equipped with corner-cube retroreflectors, and the relatively few photons returned are collected by a telescope. The station electronics measures the round-trip travel times of the laser pulses. From these measurements, the coordinates of the SLR station or the satellite’s orbit can be determined.

    Observations by a global network of SLR stations are coordinated by the International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS), which, like the International GNSS Service, is one of the space geodetic services of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG).

    FIGURE 2. Retroreflector array on GPS Block IIA satellites SVNs 35 and 36.

    Since the early 1990s, the ILRS has tracked GNSS satellites supporting the independent validation of the microwave-derived precise orbits. Two Block IIA GPS satellites, SVN35 and SVN36, were equipped with retroreflectors (see FIGURE 2) and they were routinely tracked from their launches in 1993 and 1994, respectively, until their decommissioning in 2013 and 2014 (actually, SVN36 was subsequently briefly reactivated in 2015 so data is available for that satellite until that year). Also in the 1990s, the ILRS started to track GLONASS satellites in support of the International GLONASS Experiment (IGEX-98). There is a retroreflector array on all GLONASS satellites (see FIGURE 3).

    FIGURE 3. Circular retroreflector array on GLONASS-K satellites, surrounding inner antenna elements.

    Range residuals of GPS and GLONASS satellites were studied in the early years by a number of different research groups. Most of their analyses showed a bias of about –5.5 centimeters for GPS satellite orbits derived from microwave tracking data by the IGS while the accuracy of the latter was estimated to about 5 centimeters. For GLONASS orbits, a negative bias of about –4 centimeters was identified, too. The accuracy of the orbits was, however, at the 10–15 centimeter level. These validation results supported several model improvements for GPS satellite orbits including, in particular, the handling of solar and Earth albedo radiation pressure and antenna thrust, reducing the observed SLR bias with respect to the IGS orbits to 1.3 centimeters with a standard deviation of about 2 centimeters.

    “What are radiation pressure and antenna thrust?” you might ask. The photons making up the light coming directly from the sun or reflected from the Earth’s surface (albedo) impinge on a satellite and transfer some of their energy to it. Solar radiation pressure – the force due to the impact of the photons – is tiny, but its continuing presence has a strong perturbing effect on satellite orbits. Antenna thrust is also a small force. The transmission of GPS navigation signals results in a continuously acting reactive force in the radial direction acting on the satellite.

    FIGURE 4. Retroreflector array on Galileo satellites (at bottom of satellite, below antenna array).

    SLR also plays an essential role for calibrating improved radiation pressure models for the new satellite systems. All Galileo satellites have retroreflectors (see FIGURE 4), and the orbits of the first satellites to be launched, generated using the classical extended radiation pressure model of the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (operating in the framework of the IGS Multi-GNSS Pilot Project or MGEX), had SLR residuals as large as 20 centimeters for passes with a small beta angle. (The beta angle is the angle between the sun and a satellite’s orbital plane.) The origin of this behavior is the elongated shape of the Galileo satellites compared to the more-or-less cubic shape of GPS satellites, causing much larger variations of the satellite cross-section exposed to the sun while orbiting the Earth. The observed SLR residuals triggered the development of improved radiation pressure models for Galileo satellites.

    All BeiDou satellites are also believed to be equipped with retroreflectors (see FIGURE 5). As the estimated longitude of geostationary GNSS satellites such as those in the BeiDou constellation is highly susceptible to biases due to the small motion of the satellites with respect to the tracking stations, SLR may play an important role for precise orbit determination of this category of satellite.

    FIGURE 5. Retroreflector array on BeiDou satellites.
    FIGURE 5. Retroreflector array on BeiDou satellites.

    The satellites of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), also known as the Navigation with Indian Constellation system or NavIC, also carry retroreflectors (see FIGURE 6) and have been tracked by SLR stations. However, little publicly available microwave tracking data yet exists. Therefore, up to now, precise orbit determination heavily relies on SLR observations.

    FIGURE 6. Retroreflector array on NavIC satellites.
    FIGURE 6. Retroreflector array on NavIC satellites.

    MORE APPLICATIONS OF SLR FOR GNSS

    Because GNSS is a one-way measurement technique, only pseudoranges and carrier phases can be measured, and clock synchronization is indispensable for positioning and orbit determination. Radial orbit errors can therefore be absorbed to a large degree by satellite clock corrections. For the very stable clocks on board Galileo satellites, the SLR residuals show the same behavior as the microwave-derived clock corrections indicating that the clock corrections are, in fact, caused by radial orbit errors. SLR therefore provides a way to break this correlation and to separate radial orbit errors and satellite clock corrections. This makes it possible to study and to characterize the physical behavior of onboard clocks including temperature-induced clock variations.

    Separation of orbit errors and satellite clock variations is crucial when using the first two Full Operational Capability Galileo satellites, which were released into wrong orbits, for relativistic experiments. In a dual launch on Aug. 22, 2014, the two satellites were put into orbits with an initial eccentricity of 0.233 and orbit height of 19,800 kilometers due to a malfunction of the launcher third stage. With a sequence of maneuvers, the satellite orbit heights could be increased to 22,600 kilometers (compared to the planned height of 23,200 kilometers) and the eccentricity was decreased to 0.156. The satellites are, nevertheless, fully functional, and the very stable hydrogen masers on board should allow scientists to improve the uncertainty of the relativistic redshift parameter α beyond the current value determined in 1976 using the Gravity Probe A satellite. Regular SLR tracking of the two satellites plays an essential role in this experiment to separate clock variations due to orbit errors from those caused by the gravitational redshift.

    Eventually, SLR may also be used as a tool for high-precision time synchronization of stable GNSS clocks combining one-way laser transmissions with two-way active laser operation, similar to the concept of the European Laser Timing experiment foreseen using the Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) on the International Space Station and already tested for BeiDou satellites.

    SLR TRACKING OF THE GNSS CONSTELLATIONS

    In the near future, more than 100 GNSS satellites carrying retroreflectors will be operational. This includes GPS Block III satellites, which will carry retroreflectors starting with SV-9. Tracking the full GNSS constellation will pose a big challenge for the ILRS concerning economic use of its ground equipment. Optimized tracking scenarios and session planning strategies will be indispensable.

    Already today, the ILRS regularly tracks a large number of GNSS satellites. TABLE 1 shows the number of SLR normal points from ranging to the various GNSS constellations available at the ILRS data centers since 2010. Normal points are compressed full-rate data obtained by averaging individual range measurements typically over five-minute intervals. As part of the Laser Ranging to GNSS Spacecraft Experiment or LARGE project of the ILRS, the tracking of GLONASS satellites was extended to the entire satellite constellation as shown in FIGURE 7.

    FIGURE 7. Number of SLR normal points per month for GLONASS satellites.
    FIGURE 7. Number of SLR normal points per month for GLONASS satellites.

    To assess the capability of SLR for GNSS precise orbit determination based on the number of tracking stations and the distribution of observations, we performed a simple simulation. The covariance analysis included observations of a single SLR station compared to networks of 6 and 17 globally distributed stations. For each station, three normal points were simulated per satellite pass for a full 24-satellite Galileo constellation: two observed at 30° rising and setting elevation angles and one at maximum elevation angle. No unfavorable weather conditions were considered and observations of different stations were assumed to be uncoordinated.

    Formal errors of the determined orbits are shown in FIGURE 8 for the radial, along-track, and cross-track components. As expected, orbits determined with observations from one day’s observations by a single station reach formal errors in the few 10s of kilometers range (plot on the left in the first row). If observations from three days are used for orbit determination, the errors on the middle day reduce to about 100 meters (right, first row). The situation significantly improves if a global network of six stations is considered. Even for a single day of observations, an orbit precision of a few decimeters is reached (left, second row) while the orbit uncertainty further decreases to a few centimeters if observations from three days are used (right, second row). If, however, in an effort to reduce the number of observations per pass, only measurements at satellite culmination are acquired, the orbit precision is in the kilometer range for a six-station network and observations from one day (left, third row). If observations from three days are used, the orbit precision is at the meter level (right, third row). Using three normal points per pass for a 17-station network, the orbit precision reaches a few centimeters even within one day (left, last row) and about 1 centimeter for observations from three days (right, last row). It should be noted that the covariance analysis does not consider any systematic observation or orbit modeling error.

    FIGURE 8. Formal errors of Galileo orbits in radial (red), along-track (green) and cross-track (blue) directions. First row: one SLR station, 1-day arc (left), middle of 3-day arc (right); second row: six stations, 1-day arc (left), 3-day arc (right); third row: six stations with tracking only at culmination, 1-day arc (left), 3-day arc (right); fourth row: 17 stations, 1-day arc (left), 3-day arc (right). Note the different scaling for the various plots.
    FIGURE 8. Formal errors of Galileo orbits in radial (red), along-track (green) and cross-track (blue) directions. First row: one SLR station, 1-day arc (left), middle of 3-day arc (right); second row: six stations, 1-day arc (left), 3-day arc (right); third row: six stations with tracking only at culmination, 1-day arc (left), 3-day arc (right); fourth row: 17 stations, 1-day arc (left), 3-day arc (right). Note the different scaling for the various plots.

    This simulation is very simple and not very realistic, but nevertheless indicates the capability of precise orbit determination for GNSS satellites using a limited number of observations per station. The simulations demonstrate two facts. Firstly, even with just two or three normal points per satellite of a GNSS constellation, a significant fraction of the observation time of a station is required. Typically, a mid-latitude station can acquire about 60 normal points per day for a 24-satellite constellation, amounting to several hours of observation time per day. Secondly, the improvement in formal orbit accuracy only increases with the square root of the number of stations. More important than the number of normal points is their distribution along the orbit requiring SLR observations from several stations distributed over the globe.

    These two findings make it obvious that coordination among SLR stations is indispensable for making economic use of the observing time of SLR stations while providing good coverage of normal points along all satellite orbits. To cope with weather conditions, this coordinated scheduling of GNSS SLR tracking may have to be optimized in real time.

    CONCLUSIONS

    SLR has played an important role in validating GNSS-derived satellite orbits for the past several decades. For new GNSS constellations and new orbit types, SLR proves to be essential for calibrating radiation pressure models and allows us to separate orbit- and temperature-induced variations of onboard clocks. Eventually, the role of SLR will become even more important by contributing to the precise orbit determination of GNSS satellites. Given the large number of GNSS satellites from several constellations equipped with retroreflectors, coordination of observation scheduling among SLR stations will be crucial for optimizing the benefit-to-cost ratio.

    Concerning the distribution of SLR observations over the constellations, the following conclusions may be drawn:

    • For the validation and calibration of radiation pressure models, it is sufficient to acquire well-distributed observations along the orbit of one satellite for each constellation block type for a range of solar beta angles, that is, of one satellite block type per orbital plane.
    • For contributing to precise orbit products, optimally combined with microwave GNSS observations, the tracking of all satellites of a constellation is needed. This requires a coordinated scheduling of observations among SLR stations.
    • For determination of the gravitational redshift parameter using the two Galileo satellites in eccentric orbits, good coverage of the orbits of both satellites is required (as long as the satellites run on one of the onboard hydrogen maser clocks).
    • For BeiDou and NavIC geostationary satellites, SLR coverage is needed for all satellites to resolve biases in the microwave tracking technique.

    In the long term, SLR observations could contribute, together with microwave observations, in providing operational high-precision orbit products for all GNSS constellations jointly by the ILRS and the IGS in the framework of the IAG’s Global Geodetic Observing System.

    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

    This article is based on the invited paper “Ranging the GNSS Constellation” presented at the 20th International Workshop on Laser Ranging held in Potsdam, Germany, Oct. 10–14, 2016. Figure 1 was adapted from an image in “Expert Advice: Laser Reflectors to Ride on Board GPS III” published by GPS World. GPS, Galileo, BeiDou and NavIC retroreflector images obtained from the ILRS. The GLONASS retroreflector image was obtained from ISS Reshetnev. Opening photo: Nighttime ranging at NASA’s Next Generation SLR system at Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland (Credit: Felipe Hall/HTSI).

    URS HUGENTOBLER is a professor of satellite geodesy at the Technische Universität München, Germany, and head of the Satellite Geodesy Research Facility in the Institute for Astronomical and Physical Geodesy. He is also a former chair of the IGS Governing Body. His research activities include precise positioning using GNSS, precise orbit determination and modeling, reference-frame realization, clock modeling and time transfer, using both the legacy and new satellite systems. Hugentobler obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Bern, Switzerland, in 1997.

     

    FURTHER READING

    • Author’s Conference Paper

    “Ranging the GNSS Constellation” by U. Hugentobler, presented at the 20th International Workshop on Laser Ranging held in Potsdam, Germany, Oct. 10–14, 2016.

    • Early Work on Satellite Laser Ranging

    “Satellite Laser Ranging: Current Status and Future Prospects” by J.J. Degnan in IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. GE-23, No. 4, July 1985, pp. 398–413, doi: 10.1109/TGRS.1985.289430.

    “Reflection of Ruby Laser Radiation from Explorer XXII” by H.H. Plotkin, T.S. Johnson, P. Spandin and J. Moye in Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol. 53, No. 3, March 1965, pp. 301–302, doi: 10.1109/PROC.1965.3694.

    • Early Work on GPS Orbit Modeling

    “Extended Orbit Modeling Techniques at the CODE Processing Center of the International GPS Service for Geodynamics (IGS): Theory and Initial Results” by G. Beutler, E. Brockmann, W. Gurtner, U. Hugentobler, L. Mervart, M. Rothacher and A. Verdun in Manuscripta Geodaetica, Vol. 19, 1994, pp. 367–386.

    • The International Laser Ranging Service

    “The International Laser Ranging Service” by M.R. Pearlman, J.J. Degnan and J.M. Bosworth in Advances in Space Research, Vol. 30, No. 2, July 2002, pp. 135–143, doi: 10.1016/S0273-1177(02)00277-6.

    • SLR Tracking of GNSS Constellations

    “Satellite Laser Ranging to GPS and GLONASS” by K. Sósnica, D. Thaller, R. Dach, P. Steigenberger, G. Beutler and D. Arnold in Journal of Geodesy, Vol. 89, No. 7, July 2015, pp. 725–743, doi: 10.1007/s00190-015-0810-8.

    “IRNSS Orbit Determination and Broadcast Ephemeris Assessment” by O. Montenbruck, P. Steigenberger and S. Riley in Proceedings of ION ITM 2015, the 2015 International Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, Dana Point, California, Jan. 26–28, 2015, pp. 185–193.

    “Expert Advice: Laser Reflectors to Ride on Board GPS III” by J. Miller, J. LaBrecque and A.J. Oria in GPS World, Vol. 24, No. 9, Sept. 2013, pp. 12–17.

    “Initial Results of Precise Orbit and Clock Determination for COMPASS Navigation Satellite System” by Q. Zhao, J. Guo, M. Li, L. Qu, Z. Hu, C. Shi and J. Liu in Journal of Geodesy, Vol. 87, No. 5. May 2013, pp. 475–486, doi: 10.1007/s00190-013-0622-7.

    “Contribution of SLR Tracking Data to GNSS Orbit Determination” by C. Urschl, G. Beutler, W. Gurtner, U. Hugentobler and S. Schaer in Advances in Space Research, Vol. 39, No. 10, 2007, pp. 1515–1523, doi: 10.1016/j.asr.2007.01.038.

    “Laser Ranging to GPS Satellites with Centimeter Accuracy” by J.J. Degnan and E.C. Pavlis in GPS World, Vol. 5, No. 9, Sept. 1994, pp. 62–70.

    • Multi-GNSS Experiment

    “IGS-MGEX: Preparing the Ground for Multi-Constellation GNSS Science” by O. Montenbruck, P. Steigenberger, R. Khachikyan, G. Weber, R.B. Langley, L. Mervart and U. Hugentobler in Inside GNSS, Vol. 9, No. 1, Jan./Feb. 2014, pp. 42–49.

    • Effect of Radiation Pressure on GNSS Satellite Orbits

    “CODE’s New Solar Radiation Pressure Model for GNSS Orbit Determination” by D. Arnold, M. Meindl, G. Beutler, R. Dach, S. Schaer, S. Lutz, L. Prange, K. Sósnica, L. Mervart and A. Jäggi in Journal of Geodesy, Vol. 89, No. 8, Aug. 2015, pp. 775–791, doi: 10.1007/s00190-015-0814-4.

    “Enhanced Solar Radiation Pressure Modeling for Galileo Satellites” by O. Montenbruck, P. Steigenberger and U. Hugentobler in Journal of Geodesy, Vol. 89, No. 3, March 2015, pp. 283–297, doi: 10.1007/s00190-014-0774-0.

    “Impact of Earth Radiation Pressure on GPS Position Estimates” by C.J. Rodriguez-Solano, U. Hugentobler, P. Steigenberger and S. Lutz in Journal of Geodesy, Vol. 86, No. 5, May 2012, pp. 309–317, doi: 10.1007/s00190-011-0517-4.

    “Modeling Photon Pressure: The Key to High-precision GPS Satellite Orbits” by M. Ziebart, P. Cross and S. Adhya in GPS World, Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan. 2002, pp. 43–50.

    • Testing Relativity Theory

    “Test of the Gravitational Redshift with Stable Clocks in Eccentric Orbits: Application to Galileo Satellites 5 and 6” by P. Delva, A. Hees, S. Bertone, E. Richard and P. Wolf in Classical and Quantum Gravity, Vol. 32, No. 23, 2015, doi: 10.1088/0264-9381/32/23/232003.

  • ESA: Space debris enters ‘more feared exponential trend’

    ESA: Space debris enters ‘more feared exponential trend’

    Space Debris: Artist’s impression based on density data, shown at an exaggerated size to make objects visible. Image: ESA
    Space Debris: Artist’s impression based on density data, shown at an exaggerated size to make objects visible.
    Image: ESA

    In April, the European Space Agency (ESA) hosted the 7th European Conference on Space Debris at ESA’s Satellite Control Centre in Darmstadt, Germany. There, international experts discussed ways to head off the threat of space junk.

    ESA estimates there are roughly 5,000 objects larger than 1 meter, 20,000 objects over 10 centimeters and 750,000 “flying bullets” of around one centimeter.

    Risks of a collision are statistically remote, but “The growth in the number of fragments has deviated from the linear trend in the past and has entered into the more feared exponential trend,” warns Holger Krag, in charge of ESA’s space debris office.

    Many of the objects are traveling at enormous speed, up to 56,000 kilometers per hour, giving them the potential explosive force of a hand grenade on impact, said ESA experts.

    In the U.S., more than 16,000 objects are tracked and cataloged daily by crews in the Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Only 1,100 of the tracked items are functional spacecraft, including GPS satellites.

    Dealing with existing debris will call for innovative solutions — the purpose of the four-day summit, held every four years since 1993.

    “It’s clear to us that the issue of space debris is serious,” Jan Woerner, ESA chief, told the conference. “No country can stand or act alone.”

  • Continental Electronics patents new eLoran transmit method, system

    Continental Electronics patents new eLoran transmit method, system

    Photo: Continental Electronics
    Photo: Continental Electronics

    Texas company Continental Electronics has patented a transmitter system and method for construction of low-frequency antenna towers significantly lower in height than previously needed for identical coverage.

    “One obstacle to deploying eLoran systems has been the sheer height needed for the transmission towers, each of which requires significant acreage,” said Mike Rosso, vice president of Dallas-based Continental Electronics. “Tower height and land required not only represent serious financial costs, but in some cases adequate space is simply not available. Our technology can reduce tower height and real-estate requirements. With this, reducing antenna tower height by half would reduce required land area to one quarter.”

    The method uses digital adaptive correction, solid-state amplifiers, envelope modulation and a wideband matching network. Any linear distortions within usable bandwidth are removed by digital adaptive correction, according to the company. Envelope modulation is required to achieve linearization for any signal type including Loran. A wideband matching network tunes out capacitive reactance from electrically short antennas, transforms impedance to a value suitable for the transmitter, increases usable bandwidth and suppresses harmonics and out-of-band emissions.

    “We hope this will aid moving forward eLoran deployments around the world,” Rosso added. “Widely used satellite-based navigation and timing services are vulnerable to jamming, spoofing and other forms of interference. The world needs a more resilient solution as afforded by ground-based solutions such as eLoran.”

  • ISRO inaugurates advanced GNSS research lab

    The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched the Advanced GNSS Research Laboratory (AGRL) in the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering at the Osmania University College of Engineering in Hyderabad, reports The Hindu.

    ISRO Chairman A. S. Kiran Kumar inaugurated the facility on April 27. He discussed various technical aspects related to NavIC Satellite Navigation System of India (formerly the INSS).

    He also advised students and faculty to carry out research work on differential corrections, development of various modules using IRNSS, atmospheric effects, work related to mutli-constellation, kinematic applications, fisheries applications and innovative applications for the public.

    The laboratory was established to enable research projects for Ph.D., M.E. and B.E. students. It was developed under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the University College of Engineering with the Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO, Ahmedabad.

  • New players trigger new space race, GPS III update

    New players trigger new space race, GPS III update

    Robin Wrinn
    Robin Wrinn

    This month, we bring you a guest column on the 33rd Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Robin Wrinn, a communications professional based in Atlanta, gives her perspective on the premier annual space event, held in early April. Among her findings: new players in space race, new capabilities afforded by 3D printing and virtual reality, and insights into the GPS III program from Lockheed Martin’s VP for navigation systems.

    — Alan Cameron, editor

     

    Blue Origin spacecraft.
    Blue Origin spacecraft.

    A host of new entrepreneurial and government players entering the space sector created an underlying sense of excitement that a new “space race” has begun. Visitors attending the 33rd annual Space Symposium first encountered the imposing, reusable Blue Origin spacecraft displayed prominently in front of the Broadmoor Hotel Exhibit Hall. It seemed to symbolically punctuate a statement that the space industry landscape is changing — and putting long-experienced government players and government contract monopolies on notice.

    Hosted by the Colorado Springs-based Space Foundation, this year’s Symposium featured more than 180 exhibitors, including 38 new international partners and space, government and defense officials from more than 30 countries. In addition to the United States, other notable space nations attending included China, Germany, South Korea, Japan, high-level members of Russia’s ROSCOSMOS, and for the first time, the European GNSS Agency (GSA).

    Space Recognized as a Security Asset

    A primary theme throughout the speaker lineup was development of missions and programs to shore up national cyber and space security. Japan, for example, had previously banned all military use of space assets, but according to Shuzo Takada, director general of Japan’s National Space Policy Secretariat, the country has established new laws in part due to growing threats from countries such as North Korea.

    Europe also has joined the club of providers of navigation services and has formally acknowledged the need to defend its member countries against cyber threats. In a keynote session, EU Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Elżbieta Bieńkowska, the first European Commissioner to address the Space Symposium, noted that Galileo, Europe’s GNSS, went live last December. In 2016, six Galileo satellites were launched building on the six the year before. Today, 17 leading chipset companies, representing more than the 95% of global supply, all produce Galileo-compatible products.

    Bieńkowska also outlined a three-point space strategy for Europe that incentivizes innovation, including investment in R& D projects, but also prompts Europe to officially view space as a security asset. “We for the first time recognize that space is a strategic asset and a central element of Europe’s strategic autonomy. Europe must ensure its own security,” she said.

    In his conference remarks, U.S. Congressman Jim Bridenstine welcomed addition of Galileo’s capabilities to the global satellite infrastructure, noting that GPS capabilities make it as important to our way of life as the electrical power grid. (Indeed, GPS actually enables key capabilities of the power grid through its precise timing, although Bridenstine did not mention this aspect.)

    “There are very strategic risks to our satellite systems and we need to make sure the GPS, GLONASS and Galileo signals provide back0up to one another and are supported in bilateral ways. “

    New Private Investment Sparks Change in Costs and Bidding

    The growing presence of private investment in the space economy was very notable at this year’s Symposium. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is among several entrepreneurial companies — Elon Musk’s SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies) and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, to name two others — that are challenging the traditional drivers. These new players are upsetting the standard government agency inclination to prefer longstanding relationships over price. Now the bid price gaps are too big to ignore.

    Case in point: SpaceX has twice now in two years won bids to launch GPS III satellites, with price as a major factor. According to a March 2017 U.S. Department of Defense press release, SpaceX will provide the Falcon 9 launch vehicle production, mission integration and launch operation for support of the GPS III mission. The contract awards break a nearly 10-year monopoly held by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security.

    Previously, Claire Leon, launch enterprise director for the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center had been quoted as saying the service views the entrance of competition as a good step that will help the government over time. “You’ll see a lot of innovation between multiple contractors to invest in the rocket systems for the United States,” she said.

    Lockheed Martin Touts Digital Tapestry Savings

    Collaborative Human Immersive Laboratory (CHIL).
    Collaborative Human Immersive Laboratory (CHIL).

    During the Symposium, Lockheed Martin Space Systems invited attending media to tour its expansive Littleton, Colo. campus where it is assembling and testing both the next-generation GPS III satellite constellation and the Orion spacecraft. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor on the GPS III program and is under contract the U.S. Air Force to build eight position, navigation and timing satellites. The contract includes options for up to four more vehicles. In September 2016, the Air Force announced it had exercised the option for Lockheed Martin to build the ninth and tenth satellites, which will include additional hosted payloads to increase accuracy.

    Throughout the tour, Lockheed Martin’s hosts emphasized the company’s cost and time efficiency innovations. We first saw the Collaborative Human Immersive Laboratory (CHIL), where Lockheed is using virtual reality (VR) technology to plan the design and manufacture of nearly all its aerospace components. In one of the largest VR laboratories of its kind, engineering teams review 3D models of product designs, tooling and facilities. Instead of paper, virtual prototyping enable Lockheed’s engineers to inspect holographs of the engineered designs, as well as become avatars to examine designs in virtual environments in full scale and in an immersive way. The lab also is used to conduct virtual dry runs of systems once products get to the shop floor.

    Collaborative Human Immersive Laboratory (CHIL).
    Collaborative Human Immersive Laboratory (CHIL).

    According to Darin Bolthouse, manager of the CHIL, Lockheed Martin began virtual prototyping in 2010 with an initial focus on the GPS III and the Orion space capsule programs. Now the company uses the CHIL across the enterprise for all programs. It also is looking for ways to shrink the large lab footprint with newer commercially available VR equipment to create more VR pods at other locations and a site-to-site VR environment network with other facilities, including Sunnyvale, Calif., Kennedy Space Center and Johnson Space Center.

    Again, time and cost savings were emphasized with a primary narrative that “inserting virtual modeling and model-based engineering helps from the ground up.” Touted benefits included recouping an initial investment of $5 million per year since its construction in 2010 through cost avoidance in rooting out specific engineering problems in VR that otherwise would have been discovered on the shop floor. A specific example served up was using the CHIL to virtually redesign the top deck of the Orion spacecraft three times to work out human-machine ergonomic issues.

    Parts made with a 3D printer.
    Parts made with a 3D printer.

    In another leg of the tour, Lockheed Martin showcased how it uses 3D printing to make parts for both Orion and military satellites: tubing routings, bottles and attachments. This has reportedly reduced lead time to manufacture a single part from six months to 1.5 months, with assembly time reduced from 12 hours to just three. Another added benefit is accessibility and costs of replacement parts down the road. 3D printing provides the roadmap and means to recreate a part 20 years later even if Lockheed Martin or a sub-contractor should have ceased operation.

    GPS III Vehicle Rundown

    The highlight of the tour was Lockheed Martin’s top secret clean room, where the next-generation GPS III satellite constellation is being assembled and tested. The expansive space included areas for integrating the parts of each satellite vehicle, as well as environment testing chambers for acoustics and thermal vacuum, which simulate space conditions with extreme temperatures, including the near and far side of Earth solar temperatures. No phones, cameras or recorders were allowed, and even then parts of the satellite vehicles were draped off from visitors’ view.

    3-D printer.
    3D printer.

    Prominent placards gave the GPS III Program Production Status:

    Vehicle 01

    Completed Factory Functional Qualification Testing

    Placed in Storage since February 2017

    Vehicle 02

    Space vehicle integration forecast completion – May 2017

    Environmental testing to begin – May 2017

    Available for launch – 2018

    Vehicle 03

    Navigation Payload forecast delivery – Spring 2017

    Space vehicle integration – Fall 2017

    Begin environmental testing – Early 2018

    Available for launch – 2019

    Vehicle 04

    Navigation Payload forecast delivery – Fall 2017

    Space vehicle integration – Early 018

    Satellite Delays Resolved

    According to Lockheed Martin spokesperson Chip Eschenfelder, who spoke with GPS World during the media tour, previously reported GPS III engineering delays related to the payload have been resolved.

    Lockheed Martin's GPS III clean room in Littleton, Colorado
    Lockheed Martin’s GPS III clean room in Littleton, Colorado

    Lockheed subcontractor Harris Corporation provides the critical mission data unit (MDU) and other components of the navigation payload, including atomic clock timing systems, radiation-hardened computers and powerful transmitters to deliver accurate, robust navigation signals for the GPS III constellation. Last year it was discovered that a ceramic capacitor had not been subjected to all the program’s required qualification tests. Once the issue was discovered, Harris deployed a dedicated team to complete the required tests by December 2016. The issue caused a delay of four months. The part was among the more than 28,000 used in the navigation payloads for the GPS III vehicles. The company announced in February 2016 that it plans to offer a fully digital navigation payload for the GPS III’s space vehicle 11 and beyond.

    According to Harris Corp. spokesperson Ellen Mitchell, the company has so far delivered two full payloads to Lockheed Martin and has delivered some of the hardware for the third space vehicle.

    Another potential GPS III delay presented itself in March 2017 when the U.S. Air Force opened a review of the propulsion systems used for Lockheed Martin’s GPS III and other military satellites, following a problem during an attempt to boost one into orbit. According to Eschenfelder, the review is a standard process and was out of an abundance of caution. Lockheed is“confident that this review will not delay the Air Force’s planned spring 2018 Initial Launch Capability (ILC).”

    Further comments on the GPS III program came in a subsequent conversation I held with Mark Stewart, Lockheed Martin’s vice president for Navigation Systems:

    Q: GPS III has extensive military applications. What differences will it bring to the civil, end-user experience as compared to today’s?

    A: Millions of commercial and civilian users rely on GPS every day. GPS III begins a new era of improved Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) performance for these civilian users in that it will be the first GPS satellite transmitting a new L1C civil signal designed to be compatible and interoperable with other international Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), like Galileo and QZSS. In the near future, civilian GPS receivers – like those found in smart phones — will be looking for L1C and compatible signals from satellites from multiple GNSS constellations, including GPS III. With more opportunities for GPS receivers to maintain “line-of-sight” L1C connections, civilian users will have much improved connectivity.

    Q: What is the impact of the OCX/ground segment delay? Won’t that impact realizing GPS III’s full capabilities on time?

    A: The first GPS III satellite, GPS III Space Vehicle 1 (GPS III SV01), was placed in storage on Feb. 27 and is now awaiting call up for launch from the Air Force. GPS III SV01 will need the Next Generation OCX Block 0 to launch. We are working closely with the Air Force and Raytheon to demonstrate GPS III SV01 operating on orbit as soon as possible. It is more appropriate for the U.S. Air Force and Raytheon to comment about OCX’s capabilities and what it will bring to the overall GPS III enterprise.

    OCX Block 1 is the baseline program under development to command and control GPS III satellites.  As a temporary gap-filler until OCX Block 1 is available, the Air Force placed Lockheed Martin under contract for “GPS III Contingency Operations” (COps), which will enable the current GPS Operational Control Segment (OCS) to checkout and operate GPS III satellites prior to the delivery of OCX Block 1.  Lockheed Martin’s COps program successful completed a Critical Design Review in November 2016, on schedule for delivery in 2019.

    Q: How do you see the future of GPS in a multi-constellation environment (considering that soon in addition to GPS and the Russian GLONASS, the European Galileo and the Chinese Baidoo will be fully operational)? And what does that mean for the civilian end-user?

    A: Civilian multi-constellation users will significantly benefit from the new L1C signal, designed be compatible and interoperable with the Galileo E1 Open Service (OS) signal. In addition, GPS navigation messages include the GPS/GNSS-time offsets to enable a multi-constellation PNT solution.

    Q: Galileo will be implementing a Commercial Service already in the first generation. Do you think that such a service could be implemented in the future on GPS?

    A: Ultimately the capabilities of future GPS satellites will be determined by the Air Force. That said, Lockheed Martin’s GPS III was specifically designed to be flexible and modular so in the future the satellite could easily incorporate new missions if they are deemed necessary, and new technology as it becomes available.

    Q: What were and are the technology challenges Lockheed Martin faced during the GPS-Ill development?

    A: GPS III is the most powerful GPS satellite ever designed, with three times greater accuracy and up to eight times improved anti-jamming capability. That increased signal power comes from a revolutionary new navigation payload. Early in development our payload provider, Harris Corporation, had some design challenges. Those issues were eventually overcome and fully validated when GPS III SV01 successfully completed its Thermal Vacuum (TVAC) test in December 2015. We are excited to be bringing GPS III’s new capabilities to our warfighters soon.

    Q: How do GPS III satellites compare with Galileo FOC satellite constellation? Achieve parity (Galileo 2 frequency, current GPS 1)? or leapfrogging over Galileo technology?

    A: I cannot speak for Galileo’s capabilities but the U.S. Air Force’s Global Positioning System (GPS) has been the gold standard for PNT for more than 20 years. Lockheed Martin’s GPS experience includes more than 250 collective years of on-orbit operations for the 19 GPS IIR and IIR-M satellites that make up about 60 percent in today’s GPS constellation. With GPS III being the most powerful GPS satellite ever designed and built, I am confident GPS III will maintain that PNT gold standard ranking.

    Q: There were clock anomalies in Galileo. What are you doing to avoid similar issues? Are GPS III clock’s different or the same?

    A: GPS III Rubidium Atomic Frequency Standards (RAFS) have evolved from GPS IIR and IIR-M RAFS, which have collectively and reliably provided more than 250 years of on-orbit service, including significant time beyond their intended design lives. Our GPS III RAFS clocks undergo rigorous environmental qualification and life tests to assure performance over this next generation satellite’s 15-year design life.  In addition, each GPS III SV includes multiple RAFS for redundancy.  GPS III continually monitors the active RAFS to detect and mitigate clock anomalies.  This is just one way that GPS III provides increased signal integrity for GPS users.

    Galileo clocks utilize different suppliers than GPS III clocks. The GPS III clock supplier has produced reliable RAFS clocks for GPS satellites over the past several decades.

    [end of Mark Stewart interview]

    Ground Control

    The GPS III satellite program is heavily dependent on the GPS Next Generation Operational Control System (GPS OCX), which according to  government officials has experienced developmental issues and remains under General Accounting Office (GAO) scrutiny.

    In assessing the implications, it’s important to note that OCX’s development is delivered in blocks, with Block 0 comprising the Launch and Checkout System required to take GPS III satellites into early orbit. Block 1 is built on Block 0  and will deliver the full OCX capability, allowing the Air Force to transition from its current GPS ground controls to the modernized and secure GPS OCX master control station.

    According to the OCX prime contractor, Raytheon, all coding for Block 0 is complete and testing is wrapping up for delivery. Block 1 development is ongoing with the final iteration estimated to be completed in late 2018.

    Findings in a recent GAO report are prompting examination of the reasons for the cost overruns and delays in military development programs. Meanwhile, the Air Force is looking at ways to modify the existing GPS control system to enable the operational use of the GPS III satellites until delivery of the OCX Block 1. Regardless, the Air Force may need to delay the launch of multiple GPS III satellites, according to the GAO.

    Mr. Bezos, Mr. Musk, Mr. Branson … are you out there?

  • System of Systems: Brexit may oust UK from Galileo work

    Brexit May Oust U.K. from Galileo Work

    Participation of the United Kingdom space industry in Galileo may be in doubt as negotiations get underway on details of the U.K. withdrawal from the European Union (EU).

    European Commission officials signaled that they want to rely solely on producers within the European Union for the block’s major programs, citing security concerns such as the possible acquisition of a U.K. contractor by a company from a non-EU country such as China.

    In particular, officials are concerned about protecting the heavily encrypted, jam-resistant Public Regulated Service capability designed for government use that is reserved for EU member states and where U.K. industry has had a significant role.

    Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., based in Guildford, England, but a subsidiary of France-based Airbus, built 22 navigation payloads for Europe’s Galileo satellite fleet.

    Other companies with U.K. interests that could be affected include Qinetiq, CGI, Airbus and Scisys.

    Galileo SAR Service Launched

    Galileo’s Search And Rescue (SAR) service became officially operational with a public launch on April 6, as part of the COSPAS-SARSAT network for detecting and locating emergency beacons activated by aircraft, ships and hikers. According to the European Commission, Galileo SAR will help reduce the detection delay of a distress signal from up to several hours to 10 minutes.

    At sea, this makes SAR rescue operations easier thanks to a narrowed search box, since the vessel in distress has less time to drift. On land, acquisition of a precise position enables rescue teams to more quickly reach the operation zone and assist the victims. In the air, Galileo contributes to fulfilling International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requirements for implementing the next-generation emergency management system Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS).

    SAR transponders on Galileo satellites can pick up signals emitted from 406-MHz distress beacons anywhere in the service coverage area and transmit this information to the dedicated ground stations, the Medium-Earth Orbit Local User Terminals (MEOLUTs). The SAR/Galileo infrastructure is interoperable with GPS and GLONASS SAR transponders.
    Once the beacon is located by the MEOLUTs, the location data is sent to the COSPAS-SARSAT mission control center, which distributes it to the relevant rescue centers. These then coordinate the required rescue efforts.

    Galileo provides a ground segment coverage of 40 million square kilometers over Europe as a contribution to MEOSAR global coverage. Galileo SAR service is one of the three services launched in December 2016 with the Initial Services. The SAR service represented 1 percent of total Galileo program costs, but should result in thousands of lives being saved, said the European Commission.

    Pile of Studies Produced Not a Lot

    Gen. Shelton
    Headshot: Gen. Shelton

    Testifying before a joint hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee and House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee on March 29, Retired Gen. William Shelton, the former head of Air Force Space Command, warned that the U.S. needs to take action to protect GPS very soon.

    He cited demonstrated ability by the Chinese government in 2007 to destroy a satellite in orbit, and improved signal jamming and cyber attack capabilities against ground control systems. The U.S. is unprepared to meet those threats, he said.

    “Here we are 10 years later and we don’t really have a lot to show but a pile of studies,” Shelton said. “We’ve been part of this ‘one more study’ kind of attitude. ‘Well, that may not be the perfect answer, so let’s just do one more study’ and meanwhile time marches on. Satellites have fixed lifetimes, and you need to plan for the death of the satellite. A decision not to move forward is a de facto decision to maintain the status quo with no protection.”

    Shelton stated that space research and development is at a 30-year low, with 15–40 percent of R&D funds taken by management services and technical assistance rather than actual research and development.

    “The executive branch and the legislative branch could get together and agree on a strategy and a way forward and then execute … I don’t see any other way. There has to be some broad agreement here in the whole of government as we move forward.”

    June Launch in japan for QZSS Michibiki 2

    QZSS’s second satellite is scheduled for launch in June. Once completed, the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System will be a satellite augmentation system for GPS over Japan and other parts of the Pacific region.

    Michibiki 2 will be launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), with a launch window planned for June 1–30. The system’s first Michibiki satellite was launched in September 2010.

    OCX Back on Track

    OCX, the next-generation ground control system for GPS, is back on track following a 2016 government contract breach that prompted the Air Force to work with Raytheon to revise OCX’s budget and schedule, according to the company.

    Raytheon implemented a series of corrective actions through 2015 and 2016 to get the delayed program on a firm timeframe for completion. Coding on OCX was about 80 percent complete in late March, according to the company.

    Raytheon completed a re-baselining on OCX in March, setting up a new timeline for completion. Current delivery for the full system is planned for December 2020.

    DevOps. The OCX team reduced development cycle times to create more efficient software development by using a commercial best practice called DevOps, which adds more automation into coding and testing, and breaks coding down into units rather than focusing on the need to finish the complete system all at once.

    A subset of OCX, the Launch and Checkout System for GPS satellites is undergoing testing at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado. Raytheon expects to complete testing and deliver the system by late September or early October.

    EGNOS Refreshes

    The geosynchrous Earth-orbit (GEO) satellites broadcasting EGNOS messages changed in March. PRN 123 was introduced in the operational platform, and PRN 136 was moved from the operational platform to the test platform.

    Regional aviation in the dense European air traffic system is a key market segment for EGNOS, according to Gian Gherardo Calini, the European GNSS Agency’s head of market development. More than 440 EGNOS-based approaches are available at nearly 220 airports across Europe. These figures are expected to dramatically increase in the coming years.

    A proposal from the European Aviation Safety Agency recommends that air ANSPs and aerodrome operators implement Performance Based Navigation (PBN) approach procedures with vertical guidance (APV), such as EGNOS LPVs, at all non-precision instrument runway ends by 2020.

    Second GPS III Launch Contracted

    The U.S. Air Force has awarded a second GPS III satellite launch contract to SpaceX.

    According to the $96.5 million agreement, the company will provide GPS III launch vehicle production, mission integration, launch operations, spaceflight worthiness and mission-unique activities. Work is expected to be complete by April 30, 2019.

    An earlier SpaceX launch contract, worth $82.7 million, calls for orbiting a GPS satellite aboard a Falcon 9 rocket in May 2018.

  • U.S. Air Force says goodbye to 25-year-old GPS satellite

    U.S. Air Force says goodbye to 25-year-old GPS satellite

    At 25 years old, GPS Satellite Vehicle No. 27 completed its time in orbit on April 18. With the satellite’s final duty completed, the 2nd Space Operations Squadron (2 SOPS) said goodbye via final command and disposal from Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado.

    SVN 27 was launched in 1992, meaning it performed more than triple its design life of 7.5 years.

    “The most interesting thing about this process for me was the ability to do some experimentation and advance training prior to the disposal,” said 1st Lt. Cameron Smith, 2 SOPS bus subsystem analyst. “Experimentation started in mid-March, which consisted of advance training opportunities and vehicle component validation. This was very exciting and new to a lot of people in 2 SOPS.”

    Smith explained underperforming satellites, such as SVN 27, are removed from the GPS constellation to make room for satellites with increased capability.

    Since GPS satellites do not carry the amount of fuel required for de-orbit maneuvers, they are instead pushed to a higher orbit, roughly 1,000 kilometers above the operational GPS orbit.

    During the final contact with the vehicle, the satellite is commanded into the safest, lowest energy state possible. This means all fuel has been depleted from the fuel tanks, the batteries are unable to hold a charge, and the vehicle is in a spin-stabilized configuration.

    Bus component degradations and navigational issues, among other reasons, usually kill a satellite. Fortunately for SVN 27, there were no major flaws throughout its life span.

    “SVN 27 was disposed of because its navigation payload could no longer perform up to the GPS standards,” said 1st Lt. Shannon Sewell, 2 SOPS subsystem analysis chief. “In 1993, a year after it launched, it had a suspect component we never tested out until we disposed of it. The decoder wasn’t fully powered. Since it was a backup, we made a decision to leave it in the same configuration. However, this did not cause any major effects during its life span.”

    In the last two years, the unit conducted six disposal operations. For Sewell, even though she has witnessed final commands given during past disposal operations, this marked the first time she sent the kill command.

    “It’s a rite of passage to send out the last command to vehicles,” said Sewell. “This was my sixth and final disposal in the shop before I move on, but the first kill command I sent. It was a great way to end my tenure here and was a unique opportunity.”

    So far, there have been 28 disposal operations in 2 SOPS history, which support the Air Force’s GPS modernization efforts.

  • Skydel teams with Noffz to increase presence in Europe

    Skydel teams with Noffz to increase presence in Europe

    Skydel, a GNSS test solutions company, has partnered with Germany-based Noffz to deliver SDX GNSS simulation to clients in Europe.

    Noffz creates test systems and solutions in the area of the Internet of Things (IoT) — especially in automotive RF-test applications around eCall, network access devices, telematics control units, infotainment/multimedia units and automotive radar.

    With nearly 30 years of experience, Noffz delivers worldwide turnkey solutions and PC-based measurement, as well as automation systems.

    “With their broad expertise in test solutions, Noffz is well positioned to bring Skydel’s SDX GNSS simulation solutions to clients located in Europe and beyond,” Skydel said in a blog.

    “Technology is constantly evolving,” reads the blog. “With the advent of new satellite constellations, such as Galileo, expanding needs for position and navigation in the transportation industry, and the growing threats of RF interferences, GNSS simulation is more than ever a key component in the arsenal needed to design and validate new products.

    “Skydel SDX delivers a new paradigm in GNSS simulation, featuring an exclusive mix of performance, flexibility and unique capabilities. With the addition of Noffz’s know-how covering multiple industries, we now have an outstanding team that’s ready to tackle today and tomorrow’s technological integration challenges.”

    Galileot will reach Full Operational Capability (FOC) in 2019. Simulation of the complete Galileo constellation is possible with Skydel's SDX GNSS simulator.
    Galileot will reach Full Operational Capability (FOC) in 2019. Simulation of the complete Galileo constellation is possible with Skydel’s SDX GNSS simulator.

  • Orolia enhances Spectracom GPS threat mitigation with Talen-X

    Orolia has taken the next integration steps with its Spectracom line of resilient PNT products, which will enable clients to take full advantage of Talen-X’s BroadShield Interference and Spoofing Detection technology.

    The announcement follows up on news of the recent Talen-X strategic alliance.

    Orolia’s Spectracom and Talen-X have aligned hardware and software development efforts to jointly develop, market and sell an advanced PNT solution. The goal is to combine the strengths of Spectracom’s resilient PNT products with Talen-X’s interference and spoofing detection suite (BroadShield).

    In addition, under the alliance, Orolia will manufacture SecureSync precise time and frequency references with BroadShield integrated for Talen-X in its Rochester, New York, facility.

    Oriola-Spectracom-logo
    Logo: Orolia Spectracom

    Many mission critical defense, government and commercial operations require highly accurate and reliable PNT data but often rely on signals from GPS/GNSS satellites that are increasingly susceptible to interference or jamming. The Talen-X BroadShield technology is a fully integrated software option available within Spectracom SecureSync.

    Working with standard SecureSync GPS/GNSS receivers, BroadShield uses its unique software algorithms to detect anomalies in the GPS signal, including unintentional interference and malicious attacks. Armed with feedback from BroadShield detected anomalies, the integrated solution provides notification, alarming and automatic disabling of GPS/GNSS synchronization.

    At the same time, BroadShield interference and spoofing detection technology enhances the resilient PNT capabilities of the best-selling Spectracom SecureSync line of time and frequency reference systems. BroadShield achieves this by ensuring mission critical applications receive reliable, accurate and precise time and frequency information in a variety of challenging environments.

    In addition, Spectracom SecureSync will take full advantage of Talen-X’s BroadShield algorithms, which are known for meeting the requirements for critical infrastructure published by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

    Beyond complying with DHS best practices, Talen-X has further enhanced the BroadShield algorithms to go beyond detecting threats. With this enhancement, Spectracom SecureSync operators have detailed threat characteristics, real-time situational awareness and recorded data for pos-event forensic analysis.

    “This synchronized solution is designed to meet both government and commercial requirements by improving the protection of GPS/GNSS based critical infrastructure systems against emerging GPS/GNSS threats,” said Greg Gerten, Talen-X CEO. “Talen-X’s interference and spoofing detection algorithms have been successfully supporting the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in Navigation Warfare (NAVWAR) testing for over six years, and are ready to be leveraged to protect civil communities as well.”

    “Orolia is focused on providing Resilient PNT solutions, combining and layering technology in innovative ways that help our customers meet their mission goals,” said  John Fischer, Orolia’s V.P. of Advanced R&D. “This new capability from Talen-X augments our systems with a unique ability to detect and mitigate emerging GPS and GNSS threats more effectively.”

    For more, visit Spectracom.com’s BroadShield information page.

  • European satnav competition open for submissions

    The European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) — the largest international competition for the commercial use of satellite navigation — is once again in search of outstanding ideas and business models for accelerating Galileo applications.

    Renowned institutions and regional partners are set to award prizes worth a total of more than €1 million in more than 20 categories.

    Submissions are due June 30.

    Innovation Network for Satellite Navigation

    Satellite navigation is indispensable when it comes to accurate, reliable and continuous localization, according to the ESNC. This technology is fundamental to a variety of current trends, including multimodal logistics, the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and smart cities.

    First held in 2004, the ESNC has evolved into the leading innovation scouting mechanism in terms of Galileo-related applications across Europe and beyond. Moreover, the ESNC promotes the transformation of groundbreaking business ideas into market-ready products and new ventures.

    Each year, the competition offers advantages to more than 400 business ideas. It has awarded prizes to more than 300 winners, which represent just a fraction of the 3,700 innovative concepts submitted by 11,000 participants. Through its network — including the ESA Business Incubation Centres, other incubators across Europe and the new E-GNSS Accelerator co-funded by the European Commission — the ESNC plays a decisive role in the realization of promising ideas by supporting the foundation of startups and creating high-tech jobs.

    One of the main objectives of the ESNC is fostering the European space sector’s competitiveness globally by boosting the development of commercial space applications, especially for startups, SMEs and young entrepreneurs. Advancing Europe’s space programs and meeting user needs, especially when it comes to space data access to encourage alternative business models and technological progress, represent major goals of this strategy.

    ESNC-2017-kickoff

    The involvement of the pan-European spirit within the EU Space Strategy is realized in the ESNC by engaging multiple regions across Europe with their own dedicated prizes.

    “The investment in space technologies and applications as well as the support of forward-thinking entrepreneurs and startups ensure Europe’s increased competitiveness,” said Elżbieta Bieńkowska, commissioner for internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs. “To achieve this ultimate goal, the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) and the Copernicus Masters are a proven platform for trendsetting technologies and business models based on Galileo and Copernicus to implement the new EU Space Strategy.”

    Within this context, this year’s ESNC patronage taken over by Markku Markkula, president of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), sets the tone for the innovation competition’s pan-European mission of uniting the European regions and cities through the support of space-related businesses and future-oriented entrepreneurs, increasing the market and user uptake of Galileo.

    “The European Committee of the Regions attaches great importance to the new opportunities linked to the involvement of European regions in innovation networks, such as the European Satellite Navigation Competition,” Markkula said. “I have therefore gladly taken on the role of patron for the ESNC as of 2017.”

    E-GNSS Accelerator

    As the high-tech platform for pioneering satellite navigation applications, the ESNC is now additionally equipped with the new E-GNSS Accelerator. This program is a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs and startups to accelerate their business case on a broad scale and bring their products and services to market.

    The E-GNSS Accelerator will run for three years and will directly support the winners of the ESNC 2017, 2018 and 2019. Thereby, the participants await even more prizes, services and three further business incubations worth an additional value of EUR 500,000.

    ESNC-2017-event

    ESNC Partners

    In the ESNC 2017, special prizes are to be offered in partnership with the following institutions: the European GNSS Agency (GSA), the European Space Agency (ESA), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI).

    Prototypes can also be entered into the GNSS Living Lab Challenge.

    The University Challenge, meanwhile, is explicitly designed for students and research associates.

    In addition, participants choose from this year’s confirmed partner regions: Asia, Austria, Baden-Württemberg / Germany, Basque Country / Spain, Bavaria / Germany, Catalonia / Spain, Estonia, France, Hesse / Germany, Ireland, Madrid / Spain, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, United Kingdom, and the Valencian Community / Spain.

    Stay tuned for more updates on additional ESNC regions.

    Obtain more information at the official website, www.esnc.eu, comprising all relevant information on prizes, partners, and terms of participation involved in the ESNC.

    Prizes for the Best Applications

    This year’s winners will take home prizes worth a more than EUR 1 million and be welcomed into the ESNC’s leading innovation network for global satellite navigation systems.

    Along with cash, the various prize categories offer primarily technical, business-related and legal support in realizing the winning business models. A jury of international experts from the realms of research and industry will also evaluate the winners of all the categories to select an overall winner, who will be revealed at the festive Awards Ceremony in early November 2017.

    Furthermore, three additional incubations, supported by the European Commission, will be awarded in front of a high-ranking audience.

    Those who enter the ESNC also stand to benefit greatly from the opportunity to work closely with leading institutions and regional partners. The ESNC is geared towards individuals and teams from companies, research facilities and universities around the world.

    Awards Ceremony and Space Conference

    A partner program, the Copernicus Masters (Earth observation), also kicked off on April 5 in Brussels.

    The Awards Ceremony for both the ESNC and the Copernicus Masters takes place in early November. The event brings together industry, politics, entrepreneurship and research to showcase the most disruptive space applications and discuss trendsetting developments in the satellite downstream sector and its various application fields.

  • Japan readies second Michibiki satellite for QZSS

    The second satellite in the Japanese Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) is scheduled for launch in June.

    QZSS will be a satellite augmentation system for GPS in the region of Japan.

    The first Michibiki satellite was launched Sept. 11, 2010.

    Michibiki 2 will be launched aboard H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 34 from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Launch time is tentatively set for 9:20 a.m. (Japan Standard Time) from Yoshinobu Launch Complex, JAXA’s Tanegashima Space Center. The exact date and time could vary, with a launch window planned for June 1-30.

  • Russia commissions GLONASS station in Nicaragua

    On April 6, Russia commissioned a new GLONASS ground station in Managua, Nicaragua — its first in Central America.

    The station was created under a Jan. 26, 2012, agreement between the two countries to cooperate in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes.

    GLONASS consists of 24 satellites orbiting at a medium height of 19140 km in three planes with inclination of 64.8 degrees. Access to navigation signals of GLONASS is provided to consumers across the globe free of charge and without restriction.

    The station in Nicaragua is part of a global network that will monitor performance of all GNSS — GLONASS, GPS, Galileo and BeiDou.

    Monitoring stations help ensure interoperability of the GLONASS system with other navigation systems and improves accuracy and reliability. It will also contribute to a precise global coordinate system, which is a key element of many international scientific programs, such as a global Earth monitoring program implemented by the International Association of Geodesy.

    The information received by the station will be used for the Nicaraguan side of the self-control characteristics of navigation systems, refinement of its national system of coordinates, as well as for high-precision navigation services in order to improve the efficiency of agriculture, used in construction, aviation, navigation and scientific research.

    The opening ceremony of the station was attended by a delegation of the government space state corporation Roscosmos, headed by the general director Igor Komarov, Russian ambassador to Nicaragua Andrew Buda, representative of the president of Nicaragua Laureano Ortega, and other officials.

    “Our cooperation with Russia shows the kind of results we can achieve together in a short time, when there is the political will and technical capacity,” Ortega said. “This station is very important for Nicaragua and Central America as a whole. The use of the data will enrich all areas of industry and science of Nicaragua. ”

    “The history of our cooperation in space activities has wonderful traditions, but today what we are doing together is a serious new step, important for modern society,” Komarov said. “In Nicaragua, the ground station will start operating GLONASS global navigation system, which embodies the most advanced technologies in the creation of navigation systems that will significantly improve the navigation performance of work on a global scale. This is the first GLONASS station in Central America, and it starts to work in Managua, which indicates the level of understanding of Russia and Nicaragua. “