GPS satellites running down?

Rabbie

Rabbie

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Forgive me if this topic has been aired here before but I have been away for a while.
I was led to this article today and I was very surprised by it. The US seems to have been somewhat lax in replacement strategy regarding their ageing satellites. Next year seems to be the possible start of GPS use restrictions. QUOTE 'If the Air Force does not meet its schedule goals for development of GPS IIIA satellites, there will be an increased likelihood that in 2010, as old satellites begin to fail, the overall GPS constellation will fall below the number of satellites required to provide the level of GPS service that the U.S. government commits to'
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-670T
 
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When I was a kid, long ago. I had a Hornby clockwork train set, that ran on a tinplate track. Once fully wound the little engine raced round the track at high speed, but as the spring ran down so it slowed.

Satellites are a bit like that, eventually the spring will run down, and they will fall out of the sky, unfortunately the authorities have been a bit lackadaisical about winding up replacements.
 
Be back to the good old days!

Be back to the good old days!

All the small little French Harbours and Channel Islands, will be empty like they use to be.

The trouble with GPS, everyone can find them!
 
There has already been some discussion on this topic at:
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=204687&highlight=satellites
and....
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201797&highlight=satellites

Since then, there has been a delay announced in the launch of the first of the new generation GPS IIF satellites to May 2010. But after that, it is planned to launch a further 9 satellites before the end of 2011.
http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/space/bss/launch/launch_sched.html

Whether this is sufficient to maintain global, 24 hour 3D coverage will depend on the reliability of the SVs already in orbit. However GPS satellite SVN25/PRN25 was set unusable on 26 October when it stopped transmitting standard L-band signals.
 
neil_s said:
Galileo will be along, soon. But I guess we'll all have to buy new kit?

Neil
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By the time Galileo comes along, well probably all have bought new kit anyway, because the latest best guess is 2016 -- which I think means its getting further away, rather than closer!
 
ccscott49 said:
Yep, Decca stuff would be great, pity they have closed and demolished all the shore stations!
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I am afraid you are slightly misinformed. I know that Trinity House is active in the use and development of LORAN or as it is currently called eLORAN. I have also been involved with eLORAN.

We have an active RF station on the north west coast of UK transmitting the LORAN signals and there are a number of others within Europe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LORAN#United_Kingdom_eLORAN_implementation

LORAN is far harder to disrupt and therefore is a far more robust system than the 1.6GHz GPS signal. It lost favour in the 1960's and 70's due to the fact that it is far less accurate over land whereas GPS is very good in that respect and wins hands down in a terrestrial environment.

All our nuclear fleet of submarines use the LORAN signal emanating from the old HMS Nuthatch naval shore station.
 
Nope, not slightly misinformed. LORAN was never in use in UK (commercially, maybe for the navy) DECCA is a different system and is totally defunct.
It was used in parts of the meddy I recall.
I have used LORAN in the US, they still have an operating system, in fact still have my old LORAN set aboard.
There was another system in Europe, cant remember what it was called now, bit like loran, but there was a station in Norway, stavanger I think.
 
Norman_E said:
When I was a kid, long ago. I had a Hornby clockwork train set, that ran on a tinplate track. Once fully wound the little engine raced round the track at high speed, but as the spring ran down so it slowed.

Satellites are a bit like that, eventually the spring will run down, and they will fall out of the sky, unfortunately the authorities have been a bit lackadaisical about winding up replacements.
Click to expand...

Isn't the moon a satellite?
 
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