Alan W. Dowd is a Senior Fellow with the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes on the full range of topics relating to national defense, foreign policy and international security. Dowd’s commentaries and essays have appeared in Policy Review, Parameters, Military Officer, The American Legion Magazine, The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations, The Claremont Review of Books, World Politics Review, The Wall Street Journal Europe, The Jerusalem Post, The Financial Times Deutschland, The Washington Times, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Examiner, The Detroit News, The Sacramento Bee, The Vancouver Sun, The National Post, The Landing Zone, Current, The World & I, The American Enterprise, Fraser Forum, American Outlook, The American and the online editions of Weekly Standard, National Review and American Interest. Beyond his work in opinion journalism, Dowd has served as an adjunct professor and university lecturer; congressional aide; and administrator, researcher and writer at leading think tanks, including the Hudson Institute, Sagamore Institute and Fraser Institute. An award-winning writer, Dowd has been interviewed by Fox News Channel, Cox News Service, The Washington Times, The National Post, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and numerous radio programs across North America. In addition, his work has been quoted by and/or reprinted in The Guardian, CBS News, BBC News and the Council on Foreign Relations. Dowd holds degrees from Butler University and Indiana University. Follow him at twitter.com/alanwdowd.

ASCF News

Scott Tilley is a Senior Fellow at the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes the “Technical Power” column, focusing on the societal and national security implications of advanced technology in cybersecurity, space, and foreign relations.

He is an emeritus professor at the Florida Institute of Technology. Previously, he was with the University of California, Riverside, Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute, and IBM. His research and teaching were in the areas of computer science, software & systems engineering, educational technology, the design of communication, and business information systems.

He is president and founder of the Center for Technology & Society, president and co-founder of Big Data Florida, past president of INCOSE Space Coast, and a Space Coast Writers’ Guild Fellow.

He has authored over 150 academic papers and has published 28 books (technical and non-technical), most recently Systems Analysis & Design (Cengage, 2020), SPACE (Anthology Alliance, 2019), and Technical Justice (CTS Press, 2019). He wrote the “Technology Today” column for FLORIDA TODAY from 2010 to 2018.

He is a popular public speaker, having delivered numerous keynote presentations and “Tech Talks” for a general audience. Recent examples include the role of big data in the space program, a four-part series on machine learning, and a four-part series on fake news.

He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Victoria (1995).

Contact him at stilley@cts.today.

Space Force launches third GPS III satellite

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Categories: ASCF News Bipartisianship Cyber Security

Comments: 0

Delayed from an April launch date in response to the spread of the novel coronavirus, the third GPS III satellite was launched into orbit June 30 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

In addition to being SpaceX’s first launch with the U.S. Space Force as well as the new service’s third launch since its inception, this event saw the first successful booster recovery during a National Security Space Launch. Following separation, the booster was able to safely land on SpaceX’s “Just Read the Instructions” drone ship, located about 350 nautical miles off the east coast of Florida.

“The NSSL program’s number one priority is to achieve mission success on each and every National Security Space launch,” Col. Robert Bongiovi, launch enterprise director, said in a statement prior to launch. “We also strive to procure affordable launch services that maintain assured access to space for the Nation. Our goal with GPS III SV03 was to maintain our mission assurance record, while exploring unique cost saving opportunities like recovering a booster to deliver the capabilities our warfighters demand.”

As COVID-19 spread throughout the United States in the spring, the Space Force opted to delay the third GPS III launch and develop protocols to protect personnel supporting the launch. Space Force officials have said the delay did not impact the readiness and availability of the GPS constellation to war fighters and only minimally affected cost and schedule.

The new, powerful GPS III satellites are a marked improvement over their predecessors, providing three times more accuracy and up to eight times more anti-jamming power. However, not all of the platform’s suite of advanced capabilities will be available until more of the constellation is in place, its next-generation ground segment is operational and war fighters have the equipment needed to utilize those features.

One example is M-code, a more secure anti-jam GPS signal for military use. With this launch, there is yet another satellite on orbit that will be able to broadcast the M-code signal. But to use that on-orbit capability, the GPS III constellation needs a ground system that is compatible with M-code.

Raytheon is building the $6.2 billion, next-generation operational control system to do just that, but the system is five years behind schedule.

To address the gap, Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract to upgrade the current GPS ground control segment to access some of the GPS III features. One upgrade included in that contract is M-Code Early Use, which will support testing and fielding M-code-ready equipment to war fighters until the special-built GPS III ground system is delivered and operational.

According to Tonya Ladwig, the acting vice president of navigation systems for Lockheed Martin’s Space division, the company installed the M-Code Early Use upgrade to the GPS Operational Control Segment earlier in June, and it is expected to be ready by the end of the year.

According to the Space Force, the third GPS III vehicle will join a constellation of 31 active GPS satellites providing position, navigation and timing data worldwide. Following two launches last year, the first two GPS III satellites were declared ready for use in January and March 2020, respectively.

Photo: The third GPS III satellite is rolled out to Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex-40 launch pad in preparation for its June 30 launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. (SpaceX)

Link: https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2020/06/30/space-force-launches-third-gps-iii-satellite/

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