OPINION — “The necessity for correct and uninterrupted PNT (Positioning, Navigation and Timing) has by no means been extra important to our warfighters who function in GPS (World Positioning System)-denied environments. The profitable launch of the NTS-3 (Navigation Know-how Satellite tv for pc-3) system is step one in updating twentieth century know-how to assist handle present threats to our nationwide safety.”
That was Ed Zoiss, President of the House & Airborne Techniques section for L3Harris Applied sciences, talking August 13, in regards to the profitable launch and arrival in orbit of NTS-3, essentially the most superior U.S. experimental navigation satellite tv for pc in almost 50 years, that was designed and led by the Air Power Analysis Laboratory (AFRL) with L3Harris Applied sciences as prime contractor.
NTS-3 is managed by the AFRL Transformational Capabilities Workplace in partnership with the U.S. House Power and U.S. Air Power.
House Power’s GPS gives crucial positioning capabilities to army, civilian, and industrial customers world wide. America authorities created GPS for the army in 1973, launched the primary satellite tv for pc in 1978, made the system obtainable to civilians in 1988, and has operated the complete system of 24 satellites since 1993.
Right this moment it’s freely accessible to anybody with a GPS receiver, which suggests greater than six billion customers worldwide, based on GPS World, with an estimated 170 million within the U.S. Daily, GPS satellites support in air site visitors management, banking, farming, mobile networks, and numerous different industries, and it’s maybe the house system that most individuals world wide rely upon every day.
Nevertheless, based on the Air Power, “The quickly rising tempo of recent threats to GPS, resembling jamming and spoofing, point out that agile and resilient approaches to enhance the GPS system are wanted to keep up customers’ entry to its crucial service.”
The GPS system’s 24 operational satellites are strategically positioned in six medium earth orbits (MEOs), at an altitude of roughly 12,550 miles, with three to 4 satellites in every aircraft making two orbits a day. This configuration ensures that not less than six satellites are seen from any level on Earth at any given time.
NTS-3, is anticipated to vary the structure for satellite tv for pc navigation and to ship extra strong PNT capabilities to warfighters.
NTS-3 will perform some 100 assessments over the approaching 12 months from near-geosynchronous orbit (GEO), the place the satellite tv for pc orbits immediately above the equator at about 22,236 miles above the earth. The satellite tv for pc’s orbital interval is near 24 hours and seems stationary from the bottom,
thus giving NTS-3 a transparent, unobstructed and distinct vantage level with out the interruption of climate or atmospheric distortion.
The NTS-3 program integrates a space-based payload, a reconfigurable floor management section, and agile person receivers — all linked by reprogrammable software program. This structure permits for fast updates throughout all segments, enabling operators to counter jamming, deploy new indicators, and adapt to evolving mission necessities with out changing {hardware}.
Based on an AFRL launch, “The [NTS-3] satellite tv for pc will broadcast navigation indicators from its phased-array antenna, which might electronically steer indicators to a desired area [on earth] with out bodily transferring the satellite tv for pc. These indicators are created by a digital, on-orbit reprogrammable PNT sign generator, which not solely helps legacy indicators and superior indicators not at the moment broadcast on GPS, but in addition permits new sign updates after launch.”
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NTS-3 will take a look at a brand new digital sign generator, AFRL mentioned, “that may be reprogrammed on-orbit, enabling it to broadcast new indicators, enhance efficiency by avoiding and defeating interference, and including signatures to counter spoofing.” A aim is to make attainable the importing of a sign to the satellite tv for pc and begin transmitting it with out having to relaunch all the satellite tv for pc.
AFRL additionally mentioned NTS-3 may also take a look at “the CHIMERA (Chips-Message Strong Authentication) sign authentication protocol, which is designed to collectively authenticate satellite tv for pc orbit information and measurements of the vary between the satellite tv for pc and person.” CHIMERA gives “an especially strong safety in opposition to GPS spoofing for civil customers. Future variations of CHIMERA, or completely different sorts of indicators, might be uploaded to the satellite tv for pc at any level after launch, primarily based on new data or risk developments on the bottom.”
Over the following 12 months, AFRL will conduct a collection of demonstrations to evaluate these applied sciences in sensible operational eventualities, from countering digital interference to quickly deploying new sign configurations in response to rising threats.
“As a result of SATNAV (satellite tv for pc navigation) is critically depending on exact timekeeping,” AFRL mentioned, “NTS-3 can have a number of atomic clocks and timing sources onboard the satellite tv for pc that might be used each independently and as an optimized ensemble to permit for automated clock error detection and correction.”
The NTS-3 Floor Management Section (GCS), AFRL mentioned, is suitable with the Enterprise Floor Companies, an structure that the House Forces’ House and Missile Techniques Middle is creating, to supply a standard system for satellite tv for pc command and management. “The aim is to maneuver from a portfolio of stove-piped floor programs to a single system that may join with all Air Power and House Power satellites, saving thousands and thousands of {dollars} by streamlining person coaching and operations,” AFRL mentioned.
NTS-3 floor management can also be planning to leverage commercially-available companies resembling floor antennas and monitoring receivers to extend alternatives for contact time with the satellite tv for pc whereas lowering dependence on already strained authorities antenna sources.
AFRL can also be working with the non-profit MITRE Corp., to develop a reprogrammable software-defined receiver referred to as the World Navigation Satellite tv for pc System Take a look at Structure (GNSSTA). That new receiver will enable customers to obtain each legacy GPS and superior indicators generated by NTS-3 — and is after all crucial.
Warfighters would be the final beneficiaries of the impression of recent navigation applied sciences and built-in SATNAV capabilities, and any modifications to the sign being broadcast from house have to be communicated to and coordinated with that person section. NTS-3 assessments might be used to reveal new options for warfighters carrying so-called Software program-Outlined Radios (SDRs), able to receiving and processing reprogrammable SATNAV indicators.
Testing will present whether or not warfighter SDRs “will be capable to entry correct PNT information and enhanced versatile anti-jam and anti-spoof protections,” based on AFRL. “Classes from the GNSSTA software program structure developed by NTS-3 will pave the way in which for future DoD main protection applications to efficiently join service women and men to a versatile and resilient SATNAV structure of the longer term.”
Very like downloading a brand new smartphone app, consider what future NTS-3 software program updates can convey routinely to future customers with out the recapitalization effort usually required to improve.
That is the longer term for customers of GPS. Hopes are excessive that NTS-3 will information us down the correct path.
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