GPS Satellite
The first GPS satellite was launched in 1978, under the direct command of the US military forces. Since then, more then three dozens satellites have been launched on Earth’s orbit, servicing not only military and aviation forces but individual private users worldwide. In the history of the Global Positioning System, more than just one GPS satellite has been lost during launches or after wards. Some orbiting devices expired, others required replacements for technical purposes, but but no effort was spared for making GPS usage top quality. A GPS receiver decodes the signal sent by the satellite and gives the exact location based on latitude, longitude and altitude.
Presently, almost any smartphone includes a form of GPS satellite navigation with different mapping support and applications. The GPS seems to have become an integrated part of people’s life, but one has to wonder what will happen in a couple of years when the now orbiting satellites will have to be replaced. At present, there are funding and management issues that seem to act against the proper reconditioning of the GPS applications. The US Air Force is in charge of the entire GPS satellite structure, but according to a recent May 2009 report, there are economic difficulties to be overcome.
The average user will hardly notice if any of the 31 orbiting satellites will fail, because normally, four satellites at time on the sky are enough to provide adequate information. There is a certain redundancy in the way information is provided, because sometimes, six up to eight satellites can get connected to a GPS receiver for the same tasks. In the absence of GPS satellite real-time positioning, consumers would have to start using maps all over again. The transportation systems, the maritime and military forces would be the most affected without GPS satellite reconditioning.
In order to offer an alternative to the GPS satellite predominance, European states prepare to launch an independent satellite navigation system in 2010. Besides the USA, other countries that have GPS satellite dominance are Russia, China and India, that operate their own Global Positioning systems. Regardless of how things are sorted out in terms of administration, implementation and foreign policy at the global level, the average user should not be seriously troubled by the different modifications that may occur in the GPS satellite system. More and more people will in fact start using GPS devices for increased efficiency of navigation.
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