Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Nearly 50 years after its birth, with the aging of the system and the development of similar services in China, Russia and the European Union, GPS is facing the possibility of losing the "gold standard" of global positioning services.

The U. S. military, which manages the GPS, plans to upgrade the system with more modern satellites to provide more accurate coordinates. However, the new generation of civil GPS services is not expected to be put into use in a few years.

Academics and US officials argue that delaying the upgrade does not mean GPS is failing. But they also acknowledge that more modern satellite positioning systems in other countries could have an impact on global business.

GPS provides free utilities for the general public, starting the positioning, navigation and time service industries. The service was originally developed by the US military and has since become a must-have tool for real-time location of smartphones, ships and smart devices.

In 1973, the Pentagon first authorized the GPS project. In 1978, the United States Air Force launched its first satellite, which was put into full use in 1995. At present, the US space force has taken over the management of the GPS launch.

Civilian users are more dependent on GPS than the system planners originally imagined. For example, Uber drivers use GPS data from their smartphones to find and arrange passengers, and power companies use the precise atomic clock of the GPS network to detect power transmission failures.

Other countries are also developing satellite systems similar to GPS. Russia's Glonass system and the EU's Galileo system provide global positioning services, while Japanese and Indian satellites mainly broadcast data to their surrounding areas.

China's Beidou satellite navigation system has developed rapidly since the launch of two satellites in 2000. Global coverage was achieved in 2020, with 46 satellites, surpassing 31 satellites in the GPS system of the United States.

The Beidou satellite navigation system is supported by at least 30 high-precision monitoring stations, which can locate within a few centimeters and provide basic two-way communication functions.

Last year, Apple introduced a new feature in the iPhone 14 series that calls emergency workers by satellite. Just a few days ago, Huawei released a similar feature. The realization of this function benefits from the infrastructure of Beidou satellite navigation system.

SarahSewall, executive vice-president of In-Q-Tel, a technology investment company, says it is no longer clear that GPS was once thought to have an advantage over other global satellite systems. "GPS's dominance has been eroded."

The GPS system broadcasts accurate time measurements by satellite, and the equipment uses the time stamps of multiple satellites to determine the location.

Satellite navigation systems in China, Europe and Russia allow free use of civilian signals without direct profit. JohnBetz, an honorary researcher at Mitre, a US-funded non-profit research organization, who has contributed to GPS's modernisation, says it is hard to see direct benefits other than a boost to the domestic aerospace industry.

But the new system is more advanced. In the future, manufacturers of smartphones, cars and industrial equipment may choose to rely on signals from Beidou's satellite navigation system rather than GPS.

"there is always some inertia in modernizing GPS," Bates said. "it doesn't start with a blank sheet of paper." For example, although the United States wants to add new channels to GPS, it still plans to continue to use the original radio frequency of GPS to avoid the obsolescence of billions of devices that rely on GPS.

The GPS system will continue to set the gold standard in satellite positioning and navigation, the US Space Force said in a statement. A spokeswoman said: "while other countries may improve in terms of equivalent performance, including accuracy and availability, GPS remains a clear leader in integrity and is the only system used in the international aviation sector."

For a long time, the US military has been planning to use a number of modern upgradeable satellites to improve the GPS system. These satellites can provide more accurate coordinates and are less disturbed. The upgraded satellite broadcasts data to civilian users through a new frequency called L5.

After a series of delays, 17 satellites equipped with L5 frequencies are now in orbit, but they have not yet reached the 24 satellites needed to operate a reliable system. Some of the new satellites have been built and are waiting to be launched from a warehouse in Colorado.

The U. S. Space Force says it will continue to expand the system with the new frequency and be fully operational by 2027. Another batch of satellites is scheduled to be put into use in the 1930s. Together, the two satellite upgrades are expected to cost more than $15 billion.

Retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery of the US military expressed concern about the slow upgrade of the GPS system, pointing out that the civilian industry that relies on GPS is a blind spot. "this system is critical to our infrastructure and we have little flexibility to speak of," Montgomery said. "in fact, the GPS system in the United States is beginning to decline." He urged U. S. space forces to speed up future satellite launches.

Lockheed Martin has built four new satellites, one of which is scheduled to be launched in mid-2024. JuliBest, director of project management, said the company had built a new set of features in the satellite and simplified the production process to help quickly enhance and deliver the GPS system. The company is ready for the GPS launch planned by the US space force.

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