GNSS

EU publishes new Galileo Open Service Signal

The European Union Agency for the Space Program (EUSPA), in collaboration with the European Commission, has published a new version of the Galileo Open Service Signal in Space Interface Control Document (OS SIS ICD).

The latest version, denoted v2.1, introduces new elements supporting the improvement and enlargement of the Galileo service portfolio. OS SIS ICD v2.1 is available along with a corresponding new version of the OS Service Definition Document (OS SDD).

New elements in v2.1 include the definition of OS Extended Operation Mode (EOM) and criteria for identifying when it is activated; description of a new ARAIM Integrity Support Message (ISM), and a new annex detailing a numerical example for the computation of its 32- bit checksum; and a new annex detailing the Galileo PRN Codes Assignment process, including codes belonging to the families E1 B, E1 C, E6 B, E6 C, E5a I, E5a Q, E5b I, E5b Q are now available.

The annex dealing with the authorization of Galileo trademarks, now obsolete, has been removed.

The Galileo OS SIS ICD provides the information required by receiver and chipset manufacturers, application developers and service providers to process the open service signals generated by Galileo satellites. It specifies Galileo signal characteristics; characteristics of Galileo spreading codes; Galileo message structure and data contents; and OS Signal in Space flags. www.euspa.europa.eu

China launches two new BeiDou satellites

China added a new pair of satellites to its Beidou positioning and navigation system recently, but spent stages from the launch landed within inhabited areas.A Long March 3B equipped with a Yuanzheng-1 upper stage lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 10:26 p.m. on Dec. 26 successfully delivering two Beidou satellites into medium Earth orbit (MEO). The spacecraft are the 57th and 58th Beidou satellites to be launched. spacenews.com

Silicon-to-cloud locationing solution using Wi-Fi, cellular IoT, and GNSS

With the introduction of the nRF7000 WiFi companion IC, Nordic Semiconductor is now established as the world’s first sole supplier of a complete silicon-to-cloud locationing solution with Wi-Fi, cellular IoT, and GNSS.

Nordic’s SSID-based Wi-Fi locationing enables the acquisition of accurate location fixes in an extremely power-efficient manner both indoors and outdoors, in urban and suburban areas. This is a valuable complement to GNSS, especially in buildings and in dense urban areas where GNSS can fail due to signal fading and interruptions. www.nordicsemi.com

savvy navvy, ProtectedSeas enhance marine navigation app

savvy navvy has partnered with ProtectedSeas to bring ProtectedSeas Navigator data to boaters through the savvy navvy app.

ProtectedSeas Navigator provides boaters with 22,000 marine protected and managed areas in more than 220 countries. These areas include speed-limit zones to protect marine mammals, fisheries management areas and more. It compiles marine protection information into the Navigator database of marine protected areas (MPAs). savvy-navvy.com

Rakon releases two new GNSS Receivers

Rakon announced two new NewSpace GNSS Receivers to complement its GNSS Receiver Daughter Board (DB) released last year. The GNSS Receiver SINGLE and GNSS Receiver DUAL are advanced Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) GNSS Receivers with low power consumption and are specifically designed for small and nanosatellite platforms and LEO PNT payloads. Both pieces of equipment feature multi-band and multi-constellation support (including the newly released E6 signal) and can process signals from up to 448 channels simultaneously to provide high-performance position, velocity and timing. https://rakon.com

Qualcomm supports NavIC L1 signals

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc, in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has announced support for the new and recently launched L1 signals of India’s navigation satellite system NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) in select chipset platforms across the Company’s upcoming portfolio.

Qualcomm Location Suite now supports up to seven satellite constellations concurrently, including the use of all of NavIC’s L1 and L5 signals for more accurate location performance, faster time-to-first-fix (TTFF) position acquisition, and further improved robustness of location-based services. www.qualcomm.com

TW5394/TW5794 precise heading antenna by Tallysman

Tallysman Wireless has introduced the TW5394 Smart GNSS Precise Heading Antenna, which supports moving-base RTK precise heading and PPP-RTK high precision location capability via L-Band. The TW5394/5794 combines Tallysman Wireless’ multi-band Accutenna technology with u-blox’s Zed-F9P GNSS and NEO-D9S L-Band receivers. The integrated L-Band receiver allows operators to deploy an augmented position solution when operating outside of terrestrial communications range by receiving PPP-RTK augmentation directly from the satellite. Deployment of two TW5394/5794 devices as a moving base + rover antenna pair enables a precise heading solution, yielding 0.4º heading accuracy when deployed with a minimum 1-meter baseline. Communication interface options include USB or RS-232 to the host system. tallysman.com