Four more Galileo satellites launch scheduled for July 25
Four more Galileo satellites will be launched on a customized Ariane 5 on July 25.
The next Arianespace rocket to orbit Galileo satellites has begun taking shape at the spaceport in French Guiana. Build-up of the heavy-lift vehicle is now underway inside the spaceport’s Launcher Integration …

Japan looks to launch driverless car system in Tokyo by 2020
A self-driving car service could be on Tokyo’s public roads in time for the 2020 Olympics as Japan looks to drive investment in new technology to drive economic growth, according to a government strategic review announced. The government plans to begin testing a driverless …

Russia launches Glonass-M navigation satellite
Russia has launched a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from the Plesetsk space center to orbit a Glonass-M satellite, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
“The middle-class Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket launched on June 17 from the Plesetsk space center (Arkhangelsk Region) successfully put the Russian navigation Glonass-M spacecraft to the designated orbit.” Earlier, …

Airborne LiDAR to be used to survey electricity network in Queensland
Powerlink will use aerial surveying technology to undertake an engineering assessment of their Northern and Central transmission network. Working with NM Group, the project will use helicopter laser (LiDAR) scanning to identify maintenance issues and update records on over 3000 km of powerline.
Provided …

EU preparing for secondgeneration Galileo
The European Commission has published a contract notice for procurement of Galileo transition satellites. The contracting authority, the Directorate- General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), wishes to procure new Galileo transition satellites with evolved specifications to ensure the continuity of the Galileo constellation in 2025-2026 and …

Iridium makes maritime industry history
Communications Inc. has announced that the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) agreed to recognize that the Iridium network meets all the criteria of the IMO needed to provide mobile satellite services in the GMDSS, and to adopt the “Statement of Recognition” proposed by the United States as …

Israeli drone company Flytrex selected for FAA partnership
Israeli drone logistics company Flytrex has teamed up with the North Carolina state government to participate in a groundbreaking Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pilot program.
The FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Integration Pilot Program pairs up state and local governments with private companies in order to accelerate …

FCC looks into reports of illegal mobile phone tracking
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently announced that it is investigating reports that websites may have enabled the location of mobile phone customers to be tracked. Reuters reported that the FCC referred news reports that broke earlier in the week to its enforcement bureau for investigation. …

Airbus teams up to develop Space CARBon Observatory
The SCARBO (Space CARBon Observatory) project for improved measurement of greenhouse gases has been officially kicked off. It is funded by the European Union (EU) Horizon 2020 Programme and will be implemented by a consortium of seven European organisations led by Airbus.
The project aims at solving …

Pointfuse Unlocks ‘As Built’ Data for BIM
Pointfuse, a software provider that converts laser scan data – known as point clouds – into 3D models, has announced its integration with Autodesk’s BIM 360 project delivery platform, the first single project platform connecting design through construction. It has pioneered new techniques to rapidly process vast point …