Galileo solar arrays
A typical Galileo satellite – photo © ESA
On 24th March the European Space Agency (ESA) introduced the solar arrangements for Europe’s Galileo satellites currently testing navigation messages.
Sun simulator for flash testing – photo © ESA
A pair of 5 metre-long solar arrays supply 1.9 kilowatts of power – about the same as an average household’s consumption, it is understood. These arrays are sourced from the Dutch Space company in The Netherlands.
Inspecting solar wings – photo © ESA
Solar wings on Galileo satellite – photo © ESA
New Galileo station in The Azores
Santa Maria Station – photo © ESA
The latest addition to Galileo’s worldwide ground infrastructure has been made in the mid-Atlantic, on Portugal’s Santa Maria island in the Azores, it was reported from ESA on 27th March.
Opening ceremony – photo © ESA
Ceremony participants – photo © ESA
This new Galileo Sensor Station joins a far-flung network of stations monitoring signal quality, clock timings and positioning of the Galileo satellites orbiting Earth.
Europe’s Galileo satnav system – photo © ESA
ACCSEAS 2014 conference
ACCSEAS, an EU-funded project to support improved maritime access to the North Sea Region through minimising navigational risk, welcomed over more than 80 regional and international shipping experts to Edinburgh for its second Annual Conference, held in March.
This event presented an array of e-Navigation test-bed solutions, all of which are aimed at increasing accessibility and improving navigational safety in the increasingly busy shipping waters of the North Sea Region.
Melaha 2014 – Resilience Navigation
Details have been received from the Arab Institute of Navigation (AIN), its Organising Committee and the Scientific Committee, in respect of MELAHA 2014 Annual Conference with the theme Resilience Navigation, to be held in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Alexandria, Egypt from 1st to 3rd September 2014.
Resilience Navigation will offer an ideal opportunity to pursue continuing navigational education and learn about recent advances, future developments and research avenues, and exchange scientific ideas and experiences.
ICAO Canadian meeting
On 7th March senior officials from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) met with Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird, and other government officials from Canada, Québec and Montréal for annual high-level talks.
Shown on the occasion from left to right: Helena Borges, Associate Deputy Minister of Transport, Canada; Michel Audet, Deputy Minister of International Relations, La Francophonie and External Trade, Québec; Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, President of the ICAO Council; The Honourable John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada; Raymond Benjamin, Secretary General of ICAO; Denis Coderre, Mayor of Montréal; and Mark Allen, Representative of Canada on the ICAO Council
Eurocontrol go-ahead for centralised services
At the end of February it was announced from Brussels that the 40 EUROCONTROL Member States have decided to go ahead with developing, setting up and demonstrating six Centralised Services.
Centralised Services deal with ATM data and support the Air Traffic Control technology stemming from the Single European Sky Research and Development Program (SESAR). They are being put in place on a central pan-European basis to cover the airspace of the 40 EUROCONTROL Member States.
Turbulence and high-capacity transport aircraft
Over the recent summer months, the ATSB has seen an unprecedented increase
in turbulence events. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s monitoring of
the latest aviation events has revealed a significant increase in the number of
weather-related occurrences involving high-capacity air transport aircraft.
Turbulence being the leading cause of in-flight injuries to passengers and
cabin crew, the ATSB has produced a booklet, Staying Safe against In-flight
Turbulence, which is available for free download.
Tideland products for Kittiwake platform
In mid-March Tideland Signal reported that it had supplied Petrofac with Syncrolan LED light stations and fog signals to mark the Kittiwake platform in the central North Sea 160km north east of Aberdeen.
Syncrolan Light Station
AIS vulnerability
Research results have been published recently showing that AIS information provided on internet sites can be spoofed – that is false information can be presented, including the names and other details of vessels, their position and status.
These vulnerabilities have, in fact, been well-known since the early days of AIS and maritime administrations do not rely on these internet sites for the services they provide. However, this publicity may result in organisations in the international navigation community facing questions. The following briefing note may assist in answering those questions.
EU r&d project to demonstrate unique transport security model
ARENA was specifically developed to enable the automatic detection and recognition of threats against trucks…
A practical demonstration of the ARENA R&D project, part funded by the EU, will be delivered at Sagem’s premises in Massy, Paris, on 16th April 2014.
…trains…
ARENA (Architecture for Recognition of thrEats to mobile assets using Networks of Affordable sensors) was specifically developed to enable the automatic detection and recognition of threats against mobile critical assets such as trucks, trains and ships, as well as off shore platforms. ARENA uses multisensory data analysis and will be showcased by the project team using a truck.
…offshore platforms…
Specific objectives of the ARENA project include the demonstration of robust threat detection for the land scenario and an integrated, scalable and easy to deploy monitoring system. These two objectives will be met at the event.
…and shipping using multisensory data analysis and where the surveillance model robustly and autonomously detects threats to these assets.
ICAO launches new runway safety iKit
On 5th March ICAO announced from its HQ in Montreal that in line with its ongoing co-operative efforts to resolve what remains the number one priority for global aviation safety experts, it has released a new Runway Safety Implementation Kit (iKit), developed in collaboration with a number of international organizations including IATA, IFALPA, EASA and EUROCONTROL.
ICAO’s Dr Assad Kotaite dies at age 89
Universally recognized as one of the most prominent and respected figures in the world of civil aviation, Council President Emeritus of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Dr. Assad Kotaite, died on 27th February at the age of 89.
A respected leader and visionary who devoted his life to the safe and orderly growth of international civil aviation throughout the world, Kotaite’s remarkable career mirrored the evolution of ICAO for over half a century. He was also deeply instrumental in promoting the critical role of air transport as a driver of economic, social and cultural development worldwide.
NTSB offers assistance to Malaysia
On 8th March the US National Transportation Safety Board NTSB reported that it had a team of investigators en route to Asia to be ready to assist with the investigation of that day’s Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 event. The Boeing 777 went missing on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
Signals from a speeding satellite
Soaring high above Earth as they speed through space, satellites are difficult
targets to track, said ESA in a paper issued on 7th March. Now a new approach
developed in Europe is helping ground stations to acquire signals faster and
more accurately than ever before.
Says Magdalena Martinez de Mendijur, a systems engineer at ESA’s Operations Centre in Germany: “If the antenna is not pointed perfectly, or if the satellite zips by out of its field of view before acquisition, the signal could be missed altogether.”
Upgraded station in Spain
That’s where SARAS – a Spanish acronym for ‘Fast Acquisition of Satellites and Launchers’ – is making a huge difference. The system mounts a circular array of eight small radio-frequency sensors around the rim of an existing dish antenna.
New antenna array
Sealite news
In February 2014 marine aids to navigation manufacturer Sealite United Kingdom Ltd relocated to a larger facility at 11 Pinbush Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk.
New larger facility for Sealite in the UK
Towards the end of February Sealite reported that a major European port had selected the company’s high-precision LED port entry light, fitted with GSM for remote monitoring.
Sealite’s LED port entry light (PEL)
In recent weeks Sealite announced that its Nautilus ocean buoy with a three to five nautical mile range with marine lantern had been established at the Scroby Sands Wind Farm.
A Sealite Nautilus ocean buoy with 3 to 5 NM marine lantern was recently established at the Scroby Sands Wind Farm, east coast of England
ESA’s Sentinel-1A radar satellite
Sentinel-1 arrival at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana
The European Space Agency reported on 25th February that its Sentinel-1A radar satellite had arrived at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana to be prepared over the coming weeks for launch on 3rd April. Its launch will mark a new shift in Earth observation, focusing on operational missions to support users for decades to come.
Sentinel-1 being unloaded
This first mission carries an advanced radar sensor to image Earth’s surface
through cloud and rain and regardless of whether it is day or night.
Sentinel-1 will be carried by the Soyuz rocket into space
e-Navigation architecture workshop
IALA with the German Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration is hosting a workshop on employing the e-Navigation Common Shore-Based System Architecture (CSSA) to be held in Hamburg from 26th to 29th August 2014.
In recent years IALA has been heavily engaged in developing the IMO e-Navigation concept including aspects of e-Navigation architecture. This workshop will cover subjects related to the CSSA and its individual services including implementation options, cost, quality, organisation for life cycle management and Maritime Service Portfolios (MSPs).
NATO’s submarine capacities in Dynamic Mongoose-14
Portuguese submarine berthing in Bergen Naval Base
Norwegian submarine in the fjord near Bergen
It was reported from Bergen, Norway, on 21st February that NATO’s submarine warfare Exercise DYNAMIC MONGOOSE 2014 (DMON 14) had been concluded that day off the coast of Norway, as the ships, submarines, aircraft and personnel from eight participating Allied nations wrapped up the simulations and began to take stock of the lessons the exercise provided for future operations.
French Atlanta 2 ASW patrol aircraft on the tarmac at Sola Airport, Stavanger
Rough weather provided a challenging environment for the participants, who were given the opportunity to train for a variety of high end maritime warfighting skills. During the exercise, participating surface ships also had the opportunity to conduct difficult manoeuvres involved in replenishment-at-sea (RAS) training.
Norwegian submarine and HNoMS Thor Heyerdahl in the fjord near Bergen
SNMG1 Flagship HNoMS Thor Heyerdahl (F314) followed by FGS Hamburg
(F220), FGS Augsberg (F213) and FGS Mecklenberg-Vorpommern (F218)
Captain Steinweller (CO FGS Magdeburg) at left, and Commodore Stensønes
(COM SNMG1) attending a manoeuvre briefing by the Navigating Officer
FS Primaguet
Galileo aviation augmentation
Plans to harness Galileo and other satellite navigation systems for next generation satellite augmentation systems for aviation and other high performance uses took a significant step forward at the latest gathering of worldwide operators and experts, reported by the European Space Agency in mid-February.
Working group participants
Opening of the Working Group, New Delhi
Satellite augmentation systems combine additional ground stations and satellite transponders to sharpen navigation accuracy and reliability across given geographical regions – based on the US GPS for now, but with plans to move to a multi-constellation design additionally employing Europe’s Galileo, China’s Compass and Russia’s Glonass systems in the post-2020 era.
EGNOS sharpens GPS accuracy over Europe
GAGAN service coverage, India
Radar on Chesapeake Bay
On 19th February Kelvin Hughes announced that it has supplied SharpEye™ Solid State X Band surveillance technology to the Maryland Natural Resources Police (MNRP) to enhance their enforcement network in protected areas.
The Chesapeake Bay antenna
This network monitors illegal activity across 3,100 miles of Maryland coastland, including oyster sanctuary waters in Chesapeake Bay. Such solid state radars are able to detect small, low-radar cross section targets such as boats used by poachers.
screen shot
The Kelvin Highes radio transceive
Galileo for the mass market
Satellite navigation constellation
With the first Galileo services set to begin this year, the European Space Agency (ESA) is working directly with European manufacturers of mass-market satellite navigation chips and receivers to ensure that their products are Galileo-ready.
Hybrid localisation solution rack
Explained Riccardo de Gaudenzi, head of ESA’s Radio Frequency Systems, Payload and Technology Division, “Our objective is to make sure, ahead of the EU’s declaration of early Galileo services that mass-market devices are ready and able to make use of them. In co-ordination with the European GNSS Agency, we put out an open call to satellite navigation manufacturers offering testing with our laboratory facilities. We have gone on to work with five massmarket chipset makers and a comparable number of professional receiver manufacturers.”
Octobox
ESA Lab’s Telecommunications and Navigation Testbed vehicle
Indonesia’s Kelud erupts
Kelud volcano on Indonesia’s Java island erupted late on the night of 14th February. While disaster-management authorities are busy on the ground, satellites are tracking the major cloud of ash and sulphur dioxide as it spreads in the atmosphere. “The ash has reached high altitudes where commercial aircraft
fly and is a significant hazard to aviation,” said Fred Prata from the Norwegian
Institute for Air Research. Airports across Java have closed, and multiple flights have been cancelled throughout the region.
ENC GNSS early bird registration
The Netherlands Institute of Navigation (NIN) has announced the annual European Navigation Conference (ENC), will be held from 15th to 17th April 2014 in the World Trade Center, Rotterdam under the auspices of the European Group of Institutes of Navigation (EUGIN). This conference will focus on technology, innovation and the transfer to business applications in the PNT sector.
An Early Bird rate available is available until 15th February. Participants who register for the conference before 15th February will be offered a discount on their registration fee. The regular fee is € 895. Early Birds will pay € 795.
Galileo in-orbit validation
The in-orbit validation of Galileo has been achieved, it was reported by ESA on 10th February such that Europe now has the operational nucleus of its own satellite navigation constellation in place – the world’s first civil-owned and operated satnav system.
In 2011 and 2012 the first four satellites were launched into orbit. Four is the minimum number needed to perform navigation fixes. In the following year, these satellites were combined with a growing global ground infrastructure to allow the project to undergo its crucial In-Orbit Validation phase: IOV.
Galileo’s observed dual-frequency positioning accuracy is an average 8m horizontally and 9m vertically, 95% of the time. Its average timing accuracy is 10 billionths of a second – and its performance is set to sharpen as more satellites are launched and ground stations come on line.
Terma in Belarus
It was announced from Lystrup, Denmark at the end of January that Terma had been contracted by Thales Air Systems S.A.S. to deliver and install a SCANTER 5502 Surface Movement Radar (SMR) system to Minsk-2 International Airport in Belarus. Delivery is part of the Belarussian air navigation services company BELAERONAVIGATSIA SOE’s investment in airports before the ice hockey World Cup which begins in May.