Latest GPS Satellite

[wheels 543]

The U.S. is getting ready to launch a new generation of Global Positioning System satellites starting in 2014--part of a $5.5 billion upgrade--and the first prototype has been delivered for testing to Lockheed Martin.

The new satellites, called Block III, are set to make America’s GPS constellation more powerful, more reliable, and more accurate on the ground. Right now, GPS is reliable for a location fix to within ten feet of a person’s actual location. Block III satellites should cut that margin of error down to within three feet. Boosted signals should also boost penetration and coverage, making receivers on the ground more accurate when under tree canopies or in so-called urban canyons where coverage is presently spotty. It should even make indoor GPS somewhat better.

Air Force Space Command oversees the U.S. GPS constellation, but the aforementioned upgrades will translate to civilian GPS applications. For its part, the military is getting its own private upgrade. A new military signal called M-code will be much harder to jam, giving troops on the ground an added layer of security. That’s also good for civilian users of GPS (which is basically everybody these days), as sending two separate signals will also allow for better error correction should a satellite get slightly out of sync with the rest of the constellation.

That’s about all we civilians get to know for now, aside from the fact that the Pentagon eventually expects to field 32 Block III satellites (hence the hefty price tag).

In actuality, the U.S. and other countries around the globe are working toward a new common civilian positioning signal so your Garmin can use whatever satellites are best for the job regardless of which nation they belong too. That means not only is the U.S GPS constellation getting an upgrade, but GPS coverage on the whole should get a lot better.

[Guest]

Wonder how they are launching them? Thought the US was out of rockets?

[Fogg 427]

I'm still amazed that we get to use this amazing service for free. Anyone anywhere in the world can pick up a GPS unit for pocket money and enjoy this technological marvel, courtesy of the US military. In a world where we are charged for everything these days, this defies the trend. Thanks, Uncle Sam.

[Atom Ant 0]

Do we perhaps pay a wee bit towards it when we purchase the unit? Not much though if it is.

[wheels 543]

I could be wrong, but I thought there was a "licence", "royalty," or some kind of fee paid by the manufacturers.

[oliver 0]

I had a quick look at the official gps.gov site, that says that Uncle Sam has committed to free civilian access with 'no direct user fees'. That leaves open the possibility that Garmin and their mates chip in a wee bit along with the US military industrial machine.

 

http://gps.gov/policy/ has the overview.

[Fogg 427]

Given the US military budget is close to three quarters of a trillion dollars, I doubt they rely very much on fees from the GPS manufacturers. Even if there is a small 'user pays' fee hidden in their somewhere, it is very small and to all intents and purposes a very handy freebie from the US government to the rest of us.

[Guest]

That's a big number, just think if they shut down the military they would be able to pay off the national debt