December 16, 2014

Official: Foreign GNSS Signals Need FCC Authorization for Use in United States

[SIGNALS Exclusive] A rule largely aimed at opening trade in telecommunication services will require Russia and other international providers of GNSS services to apply for authorization before their navigation signals can be legally used in the United States, a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) official has told GPS experts on the Space-based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Advisory Board. (more)
<http://www.insidegnss.com/node/4334>

Cut to GPS OCX Civil Funding Could Trigger New Delays as Scrutiny, Pressure Mount

[SIGNALS Exclusive] With final passage of the Omnibus spending bill on December 13 Congress deepened by $17 million the fiscal ditch in which the new GPS ground system finds itself, possibly further delaying the completion of a modernized operational control segment (OCX) and increasing costs just as the Department of Defense's top acquisition official steps in to take a closer look at budget overruns. (more)
<http://www.insidegnss.com/node/4335>

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Canada Eases Rules for Commercial Unmanned Flights; UAV Mischief Mounts in U.S.

Canada has lifted a key filing requirement on professional drone operators, allowing firms flying small, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to conduct for-profit flights without prior approval as long as they follow a lengthy set of rules and obtain insurance. American UAV proponents, however, are facing mounting reports of near collisions and unsafe operations by unregulated drone hobbyists and rogue commercial operators. (more)

8th GPS IIF Satellite Begins Transmitting Nav Signals

The eighth GPS Block IIF navigation satellite launched on October 29 has completed its operational checkout and was set to healthy and usable on Friday (December 12, 2014). This brings the number of satellites transmitting the L2C signal to 15 and those transmitting the L5 signal to 8. The next GPS-IIF satellite, IIF-9/SVN-70 is tentatively scheduled for launch in March of 2015. (more)

Galileo Satellite Recovered, Transmitting Navigation Messages

Europe's fifth Galileo satellite, one of two delivered into a wrong orbit by a Russian Soyuz-Fregat launcher in August, transmitted its first navigation signal in space on Saturday (November 29, 2014) after reaching its new target orbit. (more)

Saudi Group Awards Water Resources Prize to GNSS Researchers

The GPS Reflections Group at the University of Colorado, Boulder, led by Dr. Kristine M. Larson, has received the Creativity Prize from the Council for the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water. (more)

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