INDUSTRY

New UltraCam Dragon 4.2 unveiled

Vexcel Imaging unveils the new UltraCam Dragon 4.2, the next evolution in hybrid aerial mapping technology. The new system features a significantly larger nadir and oblique image footprint, delivering a performance boost with 35% more flight line efficiency for faster data collection. Its powerful sensor suite combines two nadir cameras (RGB and NIR) and four high-resolution oblique RGB cameras (19,136 x 12,736 pixels each), with a 2.4 MHz RIEGL Waveform LiDAR scanner.

It delivers exceptional image quality by adhering to sound photogrammetric principles and leveraging Vexcel Imaging’s True Pixel Processing (TPP) pipeline, which preserves all pixel information from capture to f inal product. At its core is Adaptive Motion Compensation (AMC), a prprietary software-based technology that automatically corrects for complex, multi-directional motion blur, ensuring sharp, accurate imagery across the entire project in a scene-aware manner.

UltraCam Merlin 5.0 debut in Australia

Latitude Spatial, Australia has become the first operator worldwide to integrate Vexcel Imaging’s UltraCam Merlin 5.0 into active service. Though new in name, Latitude Spatial builds on decades of experience in aerial imaging and photogrammetry, including a long-standing operational history with UltraCam systems under the HyVista brand. vexcel-imaging.com

Trimble Comprehensive Data Collector Portfolio

Trimble has launched its comprehensive data collector portfolio, marking a new era of productivity and connectivity for geospatial and construction industries worldwide. This advanced suite of devices, including the Trimble TSC710 data collector, the Trimble TSC510 controller and the Trimble T110 tablet, is built for advanced functionality and f ield operations. When used with Trimble Connect®, a common data environment and collaboration platform, or Trimble WorksManager civil site management cloud software, users can take advantage of near real-time data exchange between the office and the jobsite to improve operations. www.trimble.com

Leica TS20 robotic total station

Leica Geosystems has launched the all new Leica TS20 robotic total station. It accelerates fieldwork, simplifies daily work, streamlines repetitive tasks and avoids costly mistakes. It also incorporates insights gained directly from surveying practitioners to ensure it is specifically tailored to their real-world needs. A Neural Processing Unit (NPU) powers edge AI, enabling the Leica TS20 to optimise workflows autonomously, identify potential mistakes before they happen, and ensure reliable measurements while safeguarding data privacy. leica-geosystems.com

Leankon launches multi band GNSS antenna

Leankon has introduced the LK1850301 Dipole FPC (Flexible PCB) GNSS antenna, engineered for seamless integration and high-performance positioning across various applications. It achieves an ultra-compact size of just 49 × 10 × 0.1 mm while supporting global multi-band GNSS. www.leankon.com

Telit Cinterion SE869eK5 DR GNSS module

Telit Cinterion, an end-to-end IoT solutions enabler, has announcesd the SE869eK5-DR, a dual-band, multi constellation positioning receiver with untethered dead reckoning (UDR) built on the Airoha AG3335 chipset family. It features UDR which ensures reliable, continuous positioning even when satellite signals are lost due to jamming, interference or physical obstructions. www.telit.com

PlanetiQ wins largest commercial satellite weather data award

PlanetiQ has been awarded a $24.3 million contract from NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS). The award, issued under the Commercial Data Program’s Radio Occultation Data Buy 2 (RODB-2), is NOAA’s single largest commercial satellite weather data purchase. It will deliver 7,000 GNSS-RO profiles per day, including 500 enhanced high-signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) profiles as well as 2,500 low-latency Total Electron Content (TEC) tracks daily. planetiq.com

Safran’s upgraded VersaSync GNSS master clock

Safran Electronics & Defense has released an enhanced version of VersaSync, its ruggedized GNSS master clock and network time server designed for defense applications. The system now offers improved frequency stability in harsh environmental conditions, including extreme temperatures, shock and vibration. Engineers have enhanced holdover performance for GNSS-denied missions and increased resistance to power supply transients to maintain timing continuity during platform power disruptions. safran-navigation-timing.com

u-blox launches ANN-MB3 compact triple-band antenna

u-blox has launched the ANN-MB3, its latest L1/L2/L5 triple-band RTK antenna. It is engineered to deliver validated high performance at reasonable cost, providing customers with a practical and scalable way to integrate high-precision positioning into their products. www.u-blox.com

BAE Systems and Forterra partnership

BAE Systems and Forterra are collaborating to rapidly prototype an autonomous Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV). This is the first industry partnership BAE Systems has established as part of the vehicle’s capability kit series announced recently. The companies will create a highly survivable, self driving AMPV prototype at speeds that rapidly outpace traditional development cycles, with plans to demonstrate the capability option and its technologies in 2026. www.baesystems.com

Ironstone Opal among best inventions of 2025

Q-CTRL has announced its software ruggedized quantum navigation system’s selection for TIME Best Inventions of 2025.Ironstone Opal, which has been f ield-validated in air, land, and maritime trials, provides a solution to GPS denial, which has become an increasing danger in conflict zones and recently threatened a plane carrying European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. The system leverages quantum sensors, stabilized using software, to provide navigation that is immune to the kinds of interference plaguing commercial aviation, shipping, and defense operations. In airborne trials, Ironstone Opal enabled GPS-free navigation with an accuracy up to 111 times better than the best conventional GPS alternative, even under highly dynamic manoeuvres. It delivered GPS-like positioning accuracy down to just 4m over flights up to 700km long. q-ctrl.com

Eos Positioning to end four Arrow GNSS receivers in 2026

Beginning October 2, 2025, Eos will commence end-of-life planning for Arrow Lite®, Arrow 100®, Arrow 200®, Arrow Gold® receivers. Once existing inventory is exhausted, or March 31, 2026, whichever comes first, these models will officially be discontinued.

Eos remains committed to the customers and will continue to provide full support for these legacy products for a minimum of five years, in alignment with industry standards. Our technical support team and global distributor network will ensure our users may continue to rely on their devices with confidence and receive support when needed. eos-gnss.com

Juniper Systems partners with Point One Navigation

Juniper Systems, Inc. has announced a new strategic partnership with Point One Navigation. This collaboration will enable Juniper’s Geode™ GNSS receivers to achieve seamless, centimeter-level accuracy through Point One’s Polaris RTK corrections network. pointonenav.com

GEODNET launches GEO-MEASURE

GEODNET has launched GEO MEASURE, a survey-grade GNSS rover that delivers centimeter-level accuracy at a consumer-accessible price. It integrates robust hardware, a dedicated mobile app, and a preloaded RTK corrections service into a single turnkey package. It is engineered for professional reliability with quad-frequency support across GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou, 1,040 tracking channels for resilience under canopy or in urban environments, and a rugged, waterproof housing built for daily use. geodnet.com

Mayflower expands anti jam portfolio

Mayflower Communications Company, Inc has been granted two pivotal U.S. patents—US 11,262,457 and US 12,235,365—that significantly advance its GNSS anti-jam capabilities. These patents expand Mayflower’s proprietary technology into Signals of Opportunity (SoOP), enabling interference suppression across both Iridium and GNSS frequency bands. GPS remains a cornerstone of PNT for both military and commercial platforms. However, unintentional jamming and spoofing has underscored the need for more resilient PNT solutions. www.mayflowercom.com

Drone combines LiDAR, Photogrammetry, RTX GNSS, and Starlink

The ORKID 260 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) integrated drone combines LiDAR, photogrammetry, GNSS, and Starlink satellite connectivity onboard, allowing all systems to operate simultaneously. It features the YellowScan Surveyor Ultra LiDAR, Phase One P5 camera, Trimble Applanix APX-RTX GNSS with real-time corrections, and native Starlink SATCOM integration. It is designed to perform all data collection functions in one mission, providing seamless calibration, synchronization, and data management. dronelife.com

NSG Geospatial Services launches “NeoMaps”

NSG Geospatial Services has launched “NeoMaps”. This launch underscores the company’s role in supporting the Kingdom’s efforts to develop geospatial capabilities and enhance digital sovereignty in this vital sector, contributing to Saudi Arabia’s leading position in the geospatial economy at both regional and global levels. The platform is distinguished by its ability to integrate diverse data resources from multiple sources and to enable users to perform core GIS functions, such as exploring map content online, changing base maps, adding data layers, and customizing their styles.

GeoCue introduces Immersive Image Explorer

GeoCue has released the Immersive Image Explorer in LP360. It fuses captured imagery with LiDAR point clouds, enabling professionals to virtually “walk through” their scanned environments inside LP360. Whether collected from aerial, mobile, or handheld TrueView systems, imagery can now be overlaid directly behind point clouds for a richer, more intuitive exploration experience. www.geocue.com

Satellite to study space radiation and climate

SFL Missions Inc. has been awarded a contract by the University of Alberta for development of the RADICALS small satellite to study the transport of space radiation into Earth’s atmosphere and its impact on climate. The RADiation Impacts on Climate and Atmospheric Loss Satellite (RADICALS) mission is being designed by a consortium of Canadian Universities and SFL Missions, led by the University of Alberta, and funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Government of Alberta, and the Canadian Space Agency.

Built on the space-proven SFL DEFIANT bus, RADICALS will leverage SFL’s flexibility in attitude control approaches and require the spacecraft to spin end-over-end as it travels in a near-polar orbit around Earth. This will enable its suite of multiple instruments to collect continuous measurements of the full angular distribution of the space radiation which rains down into the Earth’s atmosphere, these 360-degree directional measurements being essential for quantifying the energy input with unprecedented accuracy.

RADICALS will carry three multi sensor instrument suites – an X-ray Imager (XRI), High Energy Particle Telescope (HEPT), and Magnetometers (MAGS), with a total of 11 sensors. sflmissions.com