SpaceX had 21 successful launches in 2018. They ended 2018 by launching a GPS satellite.
SpaceX had 18 launches in 2017.
In 2016, SpaceX won a $83 million contract to launch this GPS satellite. This is the first of a class of new GPS satellites that are being built by Lockheed Martin.
SpaceX will fly four more GPS satellites. The five GPS satellite deal is worth more than $380 million.
Smartphone GPS accuracy wil improve from three to ten meters (ten and 33 feet) to one and three meters (three and ten feet). A Raytheon ground control system called OCX is needed it will not be ready until 2022.
The Broadcom BCM47755 was introduced in 2017. It is a dual-frequency (E1/L1+E5/L5) GNSS chip that can compute location with an accuracy of up to a few decimeters. In recent years GNSS systems have been launching satellites broadcasting signals on new frequencies to open up new possibilities. Europes Galileo has the majority of satellites with E1/L1 and E5/L5 frequency capabilities.
Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/pi78HVFs6J
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 23, 2018
Successful deployment of GPS III SV01 to medium Earth orbit confirmed. pic.twitter.com/4lhJpwdsip
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 23, 2018
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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