Inside GNSS News

Hemisphere GPS Announces New Products, Patents

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:00:00 -0600

Hemisphere GPS recently introduced two new products: the LV100 GPS Compass Board, an OEM format based on the company’s Crescent Vector technology, and the Air IntelliFlow Dual Rate controller for aerial applications.

Applanix Adds Camera, LIDAR Options to is DSS 439 RapidOrtho Airborne Mapping System

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:00:00 -0600

Applanix has launched a dual-camera version of its Digital Sensor System (DSS) 439 RapidOrtho airborne mapping solution and introduced full LIDAR integration options for fixed wing and helicopter installations.

The DSS 439 RapidOrtho DualCam produces a directly georeferenced, four-band ortho-imagery in a single pass, according to the company. The new product offering adds a second DSS camera with a monochromatic charge-coupled device (CCD) array specifically configured to capture near infrared (NIR) imagery.

First GIOVE-A/B Double Difference Observed

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 18:00:00 -0600

Researchers at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), the Netherlands, succeeded this week in simultaneously tracking the GIOVE-A and GIOVE-B L1 Open Service signals in space, producing the first reported computation of a double-difference carrier phase integer ambiguity resolution on the first two experimental Galileo satellites in orbit.

ESA Opens Galileo Procurement: Let the Games Begin!

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:00:00 -0600

Today (July 1), the European Commission (EC) — with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA) — launched the procurement process for Galileo with an invitation to companies to submit requests for participation as prime contractors for six work packages (WPs) valued at €2.145 billion (US$3.39 billion).

GPS IIF Satellite Advances Through Environmental Tests

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:00:00 -0600

The Boeing Company has announced completion of the latest in a series of environmental tests of the first of 12 GPS IIF satellites, which confirm the mechanical integrity of the spacecraft.

Having apparently overcome technical problems that have delayed the program for several years, the program is now on track to deliver the first satellite to the U.S. Air Force this year, according to the company, with launch currently scheduled for the first half of 2009.

EC Issues ITT for a GNSS Advisor

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:00:00 -0600

The European Commission (EC) Directorate-General for Energy and Transport (DG-TREN) has issued an invitation to tender (ITT) for an advisor on the European GNSS program.

With a one-year term renewable up to three times, the contract will be designed to provide a pool of experts and organizations for review and counsel on administrative, financial, strategic and technical matters. The services are outlined in two “workpackages,” one for a fixed set of activities and the other for variable services performed according to specific work orders.

SiGe Launches GPS Radio with Dual-Antenna Capability

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 18:00:00 -0600

SiGe Semiconductor, Inc. has released the SE4150L GPS radio receiver featuring dual-antenna input capability for developing GPS products.

Housed in a low profile 4x4millimeter package, the SE4150L RF integrated circuit (RFIC) features a multi-bit output, which improves sensitivity and interference resistance, according to the company. The receiver has a reported system noise figure of 1.0 dB and input third-order intercept performance (IIP3) of better than 0 dBm.

Micro-Modular Technolgies Joins SiRF Club

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 18:00:00 -0600

A convergence of a relatively new Singapore-based company, Rockwell semiconductor engineering background, and SiRF Technology’s SiRFstarIII will produce a new family of OEM GPS receivers from Micro Modular Technologies (MMT).

By incorporating the SiRF module, the MN5010HS GPS receiver module represents a departure from MMT’s use of GPS technology from u-Nav Microelectronics (now Atheros Communications GPS business unit). Established in 2005, MMT has also joined the roster of SiRF Technology value added manufacturers (VAMs).

Air Force Tanker Controversy May Influence Galileo Competition

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:00:00 -0600

A U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) assessment that the U.S. Air Force made “significant errors” in awarding a $35 billion contract for refueling tankers to a consortium including the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS) may affect the prospects of foreign participation in development of the Galileo system.

NavAsic Announces First GNSS Products

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:00:00 -0600

NavAsic Microelectronics, Inc., a relatively new startup based in Shanghai, China, has announced its first products — a GPS baseband processor, NAV1802, and an RFIC, the NAV1801.

Frequency Electronics Gains GPS IIIA Clock Contract

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:00:00 -0600

Frequency Electronics, Inc. (FEI) has received an authorization to proceed (ATP) on a new contract to provide master clocks and microwave sources for payloads on the next-generation GPS IIIA satellites. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company leads a team that will build the IIIA spacecraft under a recently announced Air Force contract.

According to FEI, the value of the contract, when finalized, could exceed $10 million with more than half of the work to be completed over the next 18 months.

New u-blox GPS Module

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:00:00 -0600

u-blox AG has announced the launch of a miniature GPS module designed for high volume, mass-market applications that require fast, accurate positioning at a low cost.

The NEO-5Q is a stand-alone GPS module in a 12 x 16 x 2.4–millimeter package. Its ROM-based architecture does not require an external Flash EPROM.

New Company, New Time Code Generator

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:00:00 -0600

ORCA Technologies LLC, a recent start-up company — but one whose principals come with a long background in GPS timing instrumentation — has introduced the Model GS-101 GPS/IRIG-B Synchronized Time Code Generator (STCG).

SIDEREUS: Linking EU, Asia SMEs with Galileo Focus

Thu, 5 Jun 2008 18:00:00 -0600

A European initiative is seeking to link small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Asia and Europe through a series of one-on-one encounters between businesses operating in the aerospace and information and communication technology (ICT) sectors, with a special focus on Galileo-based satellite navigation applications.

Faulty Booster Component May Delay IIR-M Launches; L5 Signal Ready to Go

Sun, 8 Jun 2008 18:00:00 -0600

Suspected faulty components in a Delta II rocket are delaying the launch of the final two modernized GPS Block IIR satellites, possibly preventing the early broadcast of an L5 civil signal that faces a 2009 deadline for being on the air.

According to Air Force officials at the GPS Master Control Station, Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, and Patrick AFB near the Cape Canaveral launch site, the questionable component is the 40-second timer that triggers separation of the third stage booster from the GPS space vehicle. Affected are both the 20th Block IIR-M, which had been scheduled to launch this month with a civil L5 test signal enabled in the navigation payload, and GPS IIR-21.