GLONASS

SatNav satellites transmit signals from space to receivers on Earth.Illustration: ESAThe European Space Agency (ESA) plans to test new navigation satellites that will orbit much closer to Earth than those already in place, in an effort to deliver more accurate location data to our everyday devices.Currently, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are typically placed in medium Earth orbits about 6,300 to 12,500 miles (10,000 to 20,000 kilometers) above the surface and they send location data to smartphones, cars, and…

In addition to providing high-speed internet connectivity to even the most remote corners of the Earth, the over 3,000 satellites that make up the Starlink network have the potential to do even more, like replace the two dozen satellites that power the Global Positioning System. SpaceX passed on the idea, so a team of researchers took the long way to leverage Starlink as a GPS alternative.Although Starlink’s thousands of satellites each maintain a non-geostationary position in low-Earth orbit, and GPS satellites follow…

The central government has said that it has held a meeting with mobile manufacturers to discuss the compatibility of the home-grown global positioning system — NavIC — in smartphones, but no timeline was fixed for its implementation.This clarification by the government came on Monday after media reports suggested India was looking to mandate its indigenous navigation system "within months".The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said the meeting was "consultative"."A media report has claimed citing…

China on Tuesday launched the final satellite in its homegrown geolocation system designed to rival the US GPS network, marking a major step in its race for market share in the lucrative sector.Footage from state broadcaster CCTV of the launch in southwestern Sichuan province showed the rocket blast off against a backdrop of lush mountains as a small group of onlookers filmed on their phones. The (https://gadgets360.com/tags/beidou) system -- named after the Chinese term for the Big Dipper constellation –- works on a…

Firefly’s Blue Ghost will carry a navigation experiment all the way to the Moon.Illustration: NASAIn December 1968, the Apollo 8 mission carried three astronauts ona trip around the Moon— further than anyone had ever gone before. For a mission that far, navigation was the biggest unknown factor. Had the spacecraft’s velocity been even a bit off, it would’ve crashed onto the far side of the Moon.Fast forward to today, and in consideration of NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions to the Moon, the space agency is once again…