Dr Santiago Perea Diaz receives Parkinson award
The Institute of Navigation’s (ION) Satellite Division presented Dr. Santiago Perea Diaz with its Bradford W. Parkinson Award September 20, 2019 at the ION GNSS+ Conference in Miami, Florida.
Dr. Perea Diaz was recognized for graduate student excellence in Global Navigation Satellite Systems in his thesis, “Design of an …

US Space Command established
In a move to enhance the United States’ space superiority capabilities, President Donald J. Trump, Vice President Mike R. Pence, Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper and Air Force Gen. John W. Raymond formally established the United States Space Command during a ceremony held Aug. 30 at the White House.
At the …

Galilleo GNSS Service restored
Carlos des Dorides, executive director of the GSA made the following statement after restoration of GNSS services over the Galilleo satellite constellation.
“As members of the GNSS community, you are all undoubtedly aware of the recent technical incident that resulted in the temporary interruption of Galileo navigation and timing services.
The technical incident originated …

NASA launches a Deep Space Atomic Clock
NASA launches Deep Space Atomic Clock on the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched on June 24. It is similar to the atomic clocks found in GPS satellites but 50 times more stable. The technology will be a critical part of onboard navigation systems for future spacecraft and will …

China launches BeiDou satellite
China launched a new satellite for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The satellite was launched on a Long March-3C carrier rocket, and is also the fourth BDS-2 backup satellite and 45th satellite of the BDS satellite family. www.satellitetoday.com
$4.6 million to be invested in …

Another Beidou navigation satellite successfully launched
Another satellite to join the China’s independent global navigation network successfully launched from the mountainous Xichang spaceport in the southwest of the country. With this, China has launched 44 Beidou satellites since 2000, including test models no longer in operation, and previous-generation spacecraft that provided regional navigation coverage over …

UK makes major breakthrough in atomic clocks
Researchers from the Emergent Photonics Lab (EPic Lab) at the University of Sussex have made a breakthrough in developing atomic clocks, which could mean accessing a satellite signal would be unnecessary. Dr Alessia Pasquazi from the EPic Lab explained the breakthrough:
“With a portable atomic clock, an ambulance, …

Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering for GPS pioneers
This year’s £1m QE Engineering Prize has been won by four individuals who played key roles in developing GPS. The Americans Brad Parkinson, James Spilker Jr, Hugo Fruehauf, and Richard Schwartz were all present at the London ceremony held to announce the honour.
Dr Parkinson said it …

Lockheed Martin looking forward to explore GPS III capabilities
Lockheed Martin launched its first GPS III satellite and confirms that the unit is communicating efficiently with ground-control operators.
The GPS III program involves new ground stations and new, higher-power satellites, with additional navigation signals for both civilian and military users, and aims to improve the …

Dr Gladys West inducted into Air Force Pioneers Hall of Fame

An 87-year-old doctor whose programming of accurate earth models led to the current GPS system has been inducted into the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame. Dr. Gladys West was presented with the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers award for her …