Unexpected Anomalies Put Future GPS Under Stress

By: Andrew Wood

June 25, 2009
Defense, Government, Avionics

One key benefit of the future GPS III satellites that the DOD plans to launch in 2014 is that they will transmit a second civil aviation signal, called L-5, that new receivers will compare with today’s L-1 civil signals to eliminate ionospheric interference, the last major cause of GPS errors. Unfortunately, while a pre-production L-5 test package launched earlier this year worked well on a current model satellite, it caused that satellite’s L-1 and several encrypted military GPS frequencies to wander unpredictably.

This unexpected outcome has created another headache for the DOD, which has already been criticized by the Government Accountability Office for sloppy management of its space program. In addition, the GAO has rapped the DOD for relying on a batch of interim but unproven satellites–said by one expert to have “congenital defects”–to bridge the five-year gap caused by progressive failures of older satellites before the first launches of the advanced GPS III units still in development can begin.

Back

Transport Canada Reclaims Bizav Authority from CBAA March 16, 2010 Canadian Transport Minister John Baird today announced that Transport Canada is taking back the certification and oversight functions for... [more]
FAA Loses Air Trek Appeal March 16, 2010 The NTSB denied an FAA appeal of a judicial decision requiring the agency to pay Punta Gorda, Fla.-based aeromedical operator Air Trek... [more]
Korea’s Surion Helicopter Flies March 15, 2010 Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) flew the prototype of its Surion utility helicopter for the first time on March 10. Flown by two pilots and... [more]
QF-16 Target Program Launched March 15, 2010 For many years the U.S. Air Force has operated a fleet of surplus Phantom IIs as QF-4s in the full-scale aerial target role (FSAT). Under... [more]
Senate Finally Moves FAA Reauthorization to Floor March 11, 2010 Debate on S.1451, a bill that would reauthorize FAA spending and programs for two years, began this morning on the Senate floor. In addition to... [more]