News in Brief.

Abstract

Following the July 3, 1991 malfunction of the positioning system, the United States Air Force once again resumed launching of satellites on February 23, successfully sending 12 out of 24 Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites into orbit. The second GPS system will be composed of 24 satellites, three of which will act as backups. It is estimated that the remaining 21 will form a network by June, 1993. The next launch is scheduled to take place around April 2. After this, launches are planned to take place every two months. This incomplete GPS system played a major role during the Gulf War. After this program is completed, at least four satellites will be provided for users anywhere in the world, at any time. The United States Army, Navy, and Air Force will use the radio signals from these satellites for accurate positioning. Their positioning accuracy is within 16 meters. GPS users will also include the armed forces of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 04, 1996
Accession Number
ADA309735

Entities

Organizations

  • National Air and Space Intelligence Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Intelligence
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Global Positioning Systems
  • Microfiche
  • Radio Signals
  • Translations
  • United Kingdom
  • United States

Readers

  • European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP).
  • Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Technology.
  • Strategic Security Studies

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Satellites