GPS System Could Start Failing by Next Year
May 20, 2009 by John Messina
(PhysOrg.com) -- A federal watchdog agency has warned the U.S. Congress that the GPS system could start failing in 2010 and beyond. Due to delays in launching replacement satellites and other circumstances, the GPS systems risk the possibility of blackouts and failures starting next year.
As old satellites start to fail in 2010, the overall GPS constellation will fall below the number of satellites required to provide the level of GPS service that the U.S. government commits to. This will come to reality if the Air Force does not meet their schedule for the deployment of GPS IIIA satellites.
The latest GPS satellite program is already $870 million over budget and there are significant technical problems that could still threaten its delivery schedule.
There are about 30 GPS satellites that are in orbit now. The new satellites in the IIF block are three years late, and the first of them won't be launched until November at the earliest. Other factors such as the lack of a single authority responsible for GPS, have contributed also to the delays.
A GAO (Government Accountability Office) report recommends that the Department of Defense appoint a single authority to direct all development of GPS systems on the ground and in space.
As we all know the GPS is widely used by business and consumers in many modern automobiles that show or even tell drivers where they are and remind them when and where to turn to get where they're going. Owners of the Apple 3G iPhone use the GPS service to call up a map on the screen and see exactly where they are.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is reliable, and free to the public and is taken for granted, but don't throw away those maps from the glove compartment just yet, since it's uncertain for how long the U.S. government can continue to deliver.
© 2009 PhysOrg.com
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paul -- it would be a shame if you can be sued for the inability to provide a service that you have been giving away for free, expecially if you just cannot afford to continue -- are these companies in contract with the government, that would mean a law suit, but the article seems to indicate that the GPS service is totally free
QUESTION -- anyone know where to look up any and all free satelite information that is available for public use - i know you can buy chemical scans of areas ( really useful actually) -- anyone know of anything else freely ( or cheaply) provided by satelites?? and where to get it e.g. URL's
need the equipment tho
Actually, we're building our own GPS system(Galileo). We're doing that because we can't rely on your system and for redundancy(in case either system fails there's a back-up).
"Widely used"? That's meaningless hand waving.
Isn't it nice to know that anybody can use American military equipment for free?
As an American, I find it a matter of concern that a critical military system has been allowed to run down this far. Our government is wasting money on things it has no business doing, such as bailing out bankers, while neglecting what it should do.