Tag: Satellite Navigation
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AFRL to Fund $30M Cislunar Prime Challenge With Awards Starting Next Spring
SpaceWERX is leading the program, soliciting commercial capabilities in three focus areas: space domain awareness, cislunar communications, and positioning, navigation, and timing. The Space Force defines cislunar as the region past GEO extending to the moon and beyond, spanning hundreds of thousands of kilometers and 1,728 times the volume of space contained within GEO. Those…
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ESA Orders Four Additional Galileo Second Generation Satellites From Airbus and Thales
On Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced contract extensions with Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space to construct four additional Galileo Second Generation (G2G) navigation satellites. Acting on behalf of the European Commission, the agency exercised contract options for two additional spacecraft from each manufacturer, expanding Europe’s planned next-generation…
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Chinese Researchers Signal First In-Orbit Refuelling of a BeiDou Satellite
The claim surfaced in a paper submitted to the Journal of Deep Space Exploration by a team from the state-funded Deep Space Exploration Laboratory. Research papers cited in reporting suggest the operation occurred in February of last year. The researchers gave no details about how the manoeuvre was conducted. In the paper, the team said…
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DMU41 IMU Recovers From Proton Strikes and Withstands 30 kRad Radiation Test
Silicon Sensing said on September 23 that eight DMU41 inertial measurement units returned to normal operation after single-event effects testing with protons at energies from 50 to 200 MeV, while separate total ionizing dose trials exposed the units to as much as 30 kRad(Si). Post-test acceptance procedures found no significant performance drift, providing satellite developers…
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Fifth International Summit on Large-Scale Beidou Applications Highlights Everyday Uses and Global Cooperation
The fifth International Summit on Large-Scale Beidou Applications concluded Sept. 16 in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, after two days of demonstrations spanning consumer devices, drone operations and overseas projects. Organizers unveiled 51 products, technologies and application solutions, while 41 industry and research cooperation projects involving a total planned investment of 5.54 billion yuan were signed. The…
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Space Force Prepares New GPS Ground Control Program Less Than Six Months After OCX Cancellation
The U.S. Space Force is preparing a new effort to modernize the ground command-and-control system for the Global Positioning System, less than six months after the Pentagon canceled the troubled Next Generation Operational Control System, or OCX. A September 2 notice from the Space Enterprise Consortium marked “Coming” provides the clearest indication that the service…
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China Launches Authorized Operation of National BeiDou Reference Station Data Network
China has launched authorized commercial operation of service data from its national satellite navigation and positioning reference station network. This marks the first national-level authorization of public-data operations in the field of spatial and temporal information infrastructure. It will help transform the reference station network’s underutilized public data from a public resource into data assets…
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NASA Extends Starling Mission After Demonstrating GPS-Free Autonomous Satellite Navigation
NASA has extended its Starling spacecraft swarm mission through at least 2028 after a successful in-orbit demonstration of a navigation system that allows satellites to determine their position without relying on the Global Positioning System (GPS), marking a significant step toward greater spacecraft autonomy for future lunar and deep-space operations. The technology, known as Fast…
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Xona Launches Pulsar Verified Program to Accelerate Adoption of Next-Generation Satellite Navigation
Xona Space Systems has launched Pulsar Verified, a new ecosystem partnership program designed to help receiver manufacturers, chipset developers and test equipment providers validate compatibility with the company’s next-generation low Earth orbit (LEO) navigation signals. The initiative aims to accelerate adoption of Xona’s Pulsar navigation service by providing a technical verification process for hardware manufacturers…
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Lockheed Martin Wins $514 Million Contract for Two Additional GPS IIIF Satellites
Lockheed Martin has secured a $514 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to build two additional Global Positioning System (GPS) IIIF satellites, expanding the company’s total commitment under the program to 14 spacecraft. The award covers GPS IIIF Space Vehicles 23 and 24 and supports ongoing efforts to modernize the GPS constellation as older…