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Home »Solar storms can destroy satellites with ease: A space weather expert explains the science – Phys.org
Image: NASA Blog Editor's Note: A good overview of all the ways the sun can mess with things in orbit. We have noted before that scientists agree that a coronal mass ejection will someday charge the atmosphere enough to prevent GPS/GNSS reception for two to five days....
‘Russia Jamming GPS, Could Attack Satellites’ – NRO Director in Space News
Image: Department of Defense Blog Editor's Note: This article brings together a number of concerns about possible nav warfare in the near future. Note the comments at the very end of the article: "A GPS outage could wreak havoc across all military activities involving...
The True Value of Inertial Navigation – An Interview with Brad Parkinson – GPS World
Image: Shutterstock The True Value of Inertial Navigation An Interview with Brad Parkinson By Dana Goward, President, Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation A U.S. Secretary of Defense once predicted that navigation would eventually be based on inertial...
Russian Threats to GPS – KPIX (CBS) News Video
Image: KPIX Blog Editor's Note: This clip features former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the CIA's former Chief Analyst for Russia and Eastern Europe, George Beebe, Night Dragon founder Dave DeWalt, and RNT Foundation President Dana A. Goward. Click image below to...
When will Russia attack GPS? Interview with former CIA analyst George Beebe – GPS World
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: The author is President of the RNT Foundation. When will Russia attack GPS? Interview with former CIA analyst George Beebe Est. reading time: 3:30 February 24, 2022 - By Dana Goward George Beebe In mid-November,...
Worry About PNT and National Security, Not Just eLoran – GPS World
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: The author is President of the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation. Letter to the Editor Worry About PNT and National Security, Not Just eLoran In November’s GPS World, Editor Matteo Luccio opined that eLoran is...
China’s BeiDou, Russia’s Glonass Pact On Satellite Navigation Another Booster For Moscow-Beijing Military Ties – Eurasian Times
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: This is the latest step in a relationship and cooperation that has been evolving for years and upon which we have reported on before. So why bother bringing it back up now? It is likely not that big a deal from a technology...
Why renewed solar storms threaten to destroy more satellites after Elon Musk’s Starlink – CNBC
Image: Tamitha Skov, The Space Weather Woman - Check out her forecasts on YouTube Blog Editor's Note: Here are a couple articles that might be of interest. We note these discussions are in the popular media now, vice just among scientists. Going into this solar cycle,...
Russia expected to ditch GLONASS for Loran in Ukraine invasion – GPS World
Image: Russia’s Internavigation Research and Technical Centre of Advanced Navigation Blog Editor's Note: This makes all kinds of sense. Another thought - Russia has a huge military presence in Syria. If they were to establish a Chayka/Loran station there, it could...
US foes evade sanctions by deploying digital warfare tech to hide vessels at sea – The Times of Israel
Image: NOAA Blog Editor's Note: Yup. This will be a problem for some time to come. Not one that can be solved, probably, but undoubtedly one that can be managed. Key to management is greater cybersecurity through the entire navigation and reporting chain, along with...
UK Defense Searching Alternate Nav for Weapons – Gov.UK
Blog editor's note: Interesting item from the UK MOD to to "... reduce or remove reliance on Global Positioning Systems." We like that in their Market Exploration document they have sections titled "What We Want" and "What We Don't Want." Very helpful for vendors, we...
OneWeb satellites can take on EU’s Galileo GPS, says Kwarteng – The Telegraph – Really?
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: Last week the CEO of the UK Space Agency, Dr Paul Bate, and the Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy met with the House of Commons' Science and Technology Committee. We were...
DoD GNSS Spoofing Detection Project is Only a First Step – Our take on item fm C4ISRNet
Image: Across the globe circle spoofing - SkyTruth Blog Editor's Note: Don't get us wrong, the project reported on below is a good effort and a step in the right direction. But don't let the optimistic headline fool you. This effort, which we have reported on before,...
Lawsuit – ‘Ligado’s predecessor withheld interference info’ – Navigation Outlook
Blog Editor's Note: For those who haven't closely followed the twists and turns of the LightSquared/Ligado/Federal Communications Commission (FCC) soap opera over the decades, this chapter might be quite the surprise. It seems that in one of Ligado's predecessor...
At Least 40 Starlink Satellites Launched By SpaceX Last Week Have Been Destroyed By Geomagnetic Storm – Forbes
Image: NASA Blog Editor's Revised Notes: An interesting phenomena, but not something that we could expect to impact GNSS. A good reminder, though, that space is a dangerous place. At Least 40 Starlink Satellites Launched By SpaceX Last Week Have Been...
GPS-Independent Navigation at the Core of Space Development Agency’s New LEO Constellation – Navigation Outlook
Image: Space Development Agency Blog Editor's Notes: First and foremost, congrats to our friend, colleague, and award winning journalist Dee Ann Divis for standing up her new site and newsletter "Navigation Outlook." She always has great insights and often exclusive...
Russian Anti-Satellite Threats Against GPS – ION Newsletter
Image: US Department of Defense Blog Editor's Note: A very good column by Doug Taggart who writes "Defense Matters" for the quarterly ION Newsletter. And we love the sub-head "Just Saber Rattling - It is... until it isn't." Most of this thoughtful piece is about space...
National Security Demands Better Govt PNT Leadership – UK expert’s paper at RIN
Blog Editor's Note: We have not see a lot of papers about PNT governance (other than our own), so it was great to receive this one from our colleague Andy Proctor. He presented it at the Royal Institute of Navigation's (RIN) International Navigation Conference in...
Resilient PNT Supporter, Former FAA Administrator Langhorne Bond – Obituary in Fauquier Now
Blog Editor's Note: The Hon. Langhorne Bond was a supporter of resilient navigation and timing long before establishment of the RNT Foundation. In addition to the mentions in this obituary, he was one of our founding members. And, as part of his generous support, he...
Positioning, navigation and timing becomes essential in the digital and green transition – VIEIRA DE ALMEIDA
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: The headline of this the below short post by a leading Lisbon law firm is right on target. Yet the text speaks only to PNT from GNSS. Nothing about nascent commercial efforts in LEO, or mature fiber, and terrestrial broadcast...
Russia refuses Israeli demand to stop jamming GPS of flights into Tel Aviv – Middle East Monitor
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: No surprise here. Russia has always been justifiably proud of it's impressive electronic warfare capability. Their famous boast is "Our EW makes aircraft carriers useless!" Might be a bit overstated, but certainly not an idle...
A Chinese Satellite Just Grappled Another And Pulled It Out Of Orbit – The Drive
Image: Youtube/3 Arts Entertainment Blog Editor's Note: This is a much smoother, even more menacing, demonstration of power in space and the ability to disrupt GPS/GNSS and other systems than Russia's blasting a satellite to bits last year. It shows much more...
LOST ON THE NEXT BATTLEFIELD: THE NEED TO REPLACE GPS – Army War College Article
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: We do NOT AGREE with everything in this thought provoking article. Though, it is thought provoking. We DO AGREE with: The need for alternative systems The need for DoD leadership to engage and make things happen for the entire...
Navigation Leadership Award for RNTF President Goward
Guest Post by Hon. Martin C. Faga Chairman of the Board, RNT Foundation The Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation is pleased to announce that the Institute of Navigation’s (ION) Norman P. Hays Award was presented to its President, Mr. Dana A. Goward, at a...
In-Car Jammers are Killing GNSS Integrity – GPS Patron
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: Another reminder post from GPS Patron, folks who are really in a position to know. And we appreciate them linking to one of our posts in theirs! Thanks to member Mitch Narins for pointing this one out! In-Car Jammers are...
The “Ligado Situation” – How did we get here? Where do we go?
Blog Editor's Note: Last week, RNTF President Dana A. Goward spoke to a study group at the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. The study is a congressionally mandated effort looking at the FCC's decision to allow Ligado Networks to broadcast in a...
Buyers Beware Ligado Spectrum – Forbes (Telecoms beware of the FCC also?)
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: Another thought provoking set of insights by RNTF member Diana Furchtgott-Roth. We wonder if perhaps companies seeking spectrum from the FCC ought to "beware" also. As Diana points out, during the last administration the FCC...
GPS Spoofing: History and Prevention – Assoc. of Old Crows Video
Image: Skytruth Blog Editor's Note: Once a year RNTF President Dana A. Goward does a presentation on this topic for the world's largest electronic warfare organization - The Association of Old Crows. Advances in ways to deceive GPS receivers and otherwise falsify...
5G & Aviation, France vs U.S.
Image: FAA Blog Editor's Note: This issue is not in the center of our lane. It is a good example, though, of the need for careful leadership and spectrum management by the FCC. Something that we did not see in their decision on Ligado Networks. Interesting that the...
British Columbia Moves Against Jammers
Image: Chronos Blog Editor's Note: We were glad to get a link to the below article from member Chuck Schue. It is always good to see law enforcement authorities taking action against jamming devices. We have reported before about police in Scotland, and Hampshire...
‘Authentication Doesn’t Eliminate Spoofing Threat’ – EU Space Program
Blog Editor's Note: A recent post about Galileo's Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) by the EU Agency for the Space Programme provided an good overview of the service and how it works. It pointed out, though, that while OSNMA is a help in combating...
Right on time: Protecting critical infrastructure against threats – GPS World
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: Interesting article building upon the idea of a national resilient timing architecture. We have published two white papers on this idea - "A Resilient National Timing Architecture" in 2020, and "A Resilient National...
Honda Clocks Are Stuck 20 Years In The Past And There Isn’t A Fix – Jalopnik
Image: RADM (ret) Dave Glenn's 20210 Honda CRV at 12:22 on 11 January 2022 Blog Editor's Note: Another surprise GPS week rollover issue, it seems! Just goes to show how careful we all need to be about the quality and maintenance of our devices. Thanks to RNTF member...
China Besting U.S. in Nav Warfare, Now Leading World – eLoran Latest Example
Image: Shutterstock Here is the first sentence in a Chinese research paper on eLoran we saw the other day: "The eLoran system is an international standardized positioning, navigation, and timing service system, which can complement global navigation satellite systems...
Parkinson Speaks to National Academies on FCC Ligado Order
Image: Dr. Brad Parkinson presenting to a National Academy of Sciences study group. The FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act required the Department of Defense to contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to conduct “an...
Are we ready for the next big solar storm? – Astronomy
Images Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: Just a reminder there are more threats to GPS/GNSS satellites and signals than just the Chinese and Russians. Scientists are divided as to whether or not an especially large Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) would destroy GPS and...
NSC director: GPS ‘Still a Single Point of Failure’ – GPS World
Image: MS Caitlin Durkovich, Director for Resilience and Response, National Security Council Blog Editor's Note: The author of this article is President of the RNT Foundation. NSC director: GPS ‘Still a Single Point of Failure’ January 4, 2022 - By Dana Goward...
GNSS Jamming: An Omnipresent Threat – GW Prime
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: An interesting overview article that also includes some tech details and several case studies. We especially like case studies as they are a good way to make what "might happen" real. We note that folks who jam and spoof...
“Sit tight and assess.”
Just sayin'... Happy New Year, yall! https://youtu.be/Op_v2PHDn-0
Threats to GPS – 2021 Year in Review, GPS World Special
Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: We subscribe to GPS World's "Navigate!" weekly newsletter." You should too. This week's newsletter was a 2021 Year in Review and led off with a section on "Threats to GPS." December 28, 2021 Threats to GPS With rising global tensions,...
Art Predicts Life – China Disables US Satellite on “Space Force”
Image: Netflix/Youtube The 1997 James Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies" the evil-doer spoofs GPS and lures a British warship into violating Chinese territorial waters sparking an international incident in which the ship and a pair of Chinese fighter jets are lost. It...
“The impact of a long lasting, widespread GPS outage on mobile phone networks would likely be staggering…” – NIST
Image: Shutterstock Yet another government report detailing bad things that will happen because of our foolish over reliance on GPS for timing. We understand, by the way, that in the terms of this report a "long lasting" GPS outage would be "24 hours." Government and...
5G: Bringing precise positioning to the connected intelligent edge – Market Screener
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: This item about Qualcomm is part of the recent buzz about the possibilities of using 5G for location services. Lots of potential there, we are sure. Yet our telecommunications system has a critical dependency on GPS-derived...
GPS Jammer on Amazon only $14.98! Great Stocking Stuffer!
One of our members spied this for sale. What a great, useful, and inexpensive gift for the holidays! And we are glad to see that it is "Made of environmentally friendly materials." We are not sure about the "will not cause harm to people" statement, though. Traffic...
Furuno navigation & communication equipment (incl GMDSS) – GPS week number rollover
Image: UK Merchant Marine Ensign - Shutterstock Blog Editor Note: We thought GPS week rollover problems were all done with... Passing this along as part of our public education and "protecting GPS/GNSS users" missions. Guidance Safety Bulletin 24 – Furuno...
Bei Dou & China’s Rise – GPS & America’s Decline?
Image: XinhuaNet Blog Editor's Note: The below article got us thinking again about how a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is an instrument of national influence and power. In addition to being a very useful tool for a nation's civil and military use, it is a...
Video: National Resilient Timing Architecture @ PNT Advisory Board
RNT Foundation Dana A. Goward spoke to 25th meeting of the President's National Space-based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Advisory Board last week. Citing cases like Hurricane Katrina and the 9/11 attacks, his thesis was that, despite knowing about a problem...
From downed drones to stolen quad bikes: a review of GNSS vulnerabilities in 2021 – Guy Buesnel on Linkedin
Image: UK Aircraft Accident Investigations Branch Blog Editor's Note: We love these 'year end reviews' Guy publishes. He and his LinkedIn group are great sources for information on jamming, spoofing, and interference of all kinds. While we try to keep close track of...
GPS vs the Upstarts – A Comparison
Image: US Air Force US GPS folks are justifiably proud of the system. It is incredibly reliable and well maintained. First designed to "put five bombs down the same hole," folks have figured out how to put its ultra precise timing signals to innumerable uses. The Air...
GPS, Unintended Consequences, & War – Mr. George Beebe @ PNT Advisory Board
The National Space-based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Advisory Board concluded its first in person meeting in 18 months yesterday. Agendas for the two day public meeting, copies of presentations, and video of the proceedings are available on the group's website...