Video: Boeing confirms new GPS satellite in orbit and healthy

The ninth Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF reached orbit about three hours, 20 minutes after launching Wednesday aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., and sent signals confirming its health.

“Boeing, ULA and the Air Force successfully launched four GPS IIFs last year, the highest operations tempo in over 20 years, and today’s mission marks the first of three launches planned in 2015,” said Dan Hart, vice president, Boeing Government Space Systems. “As they enter service, the IIFs are advancing and modernizing the GPS constellation by improving accuracy, signal strength and anti-jamming capability. We are also introducing the L-5 civilian ‘safety-of-life’ signal intended mainly for aviation and transportation.”

The GPS IIF-9, designated as SVN-71, will undergo on-orbit testing and checkout before beginning full operation.

Boeing has served as a prime contractor on GPS since the program’s inception, contributing multiple generations of GPS satellites and accruing more than 525 years of on-orbit operation.

Video: Ship 279, the last C-17 Globemaster III

On Feb. 26, the last C-17, the 279th Globemaster III, came together during the last “major join” at Boeing’s C-17 facility in Long Beach, Calif.

Air Force taking steps to correct GPS satellite error

A Global Positioning System (GPS) message indexing issue was recently identified that affects a limited number of active GPS IIF satellites, but does not degrade the accuracy of the GPS signal received by users around the globe, Air Force officials said on Monday.

The result is an occasional broadcast not in accordance with U.S. technical specifications. The issue appears to be related to the ground software that builds and uploads messages transmitted by the GPS constellation during regular system operations, although the Air Force continues to investigate all possible causes.

Although the issue was brought to light in the last few days, a close examination of archived GPS message data reveals that the message indexing error has gone unnoticed since 2013.  Air Force Space Command has implemented a workaround to prevent further message indexing violations and is taking steps to permanently correct the error.

Climax Utilities completes first international sale

Climax Utilities, a virtual company created on the website ProEconomica, successfully conducted its first international sale on Thursday. The inaugural international sale was conducted between Climax and a ProEconomica player in Madrid, Spain. The player purchased 30 units of electricity from Climax at a cost of $1.50 per unit using virtual dollars.

"Our first international sale is a historic milestone for Climax,” commented Brothel, CEO of Climax Utilities. He continued, "Our successful electricity sale in Madrid establishes ProEconomica players in Spain as an important cornerstone for this company. I am excited to see our continued growth."

The interactive nature of ProEconomica's virtual world combined with players worldwide allows for users to interact directly with each other and develop entrepreneurial skills.

The virtual company Climax Utilites created on ProEconomica was started in 2014 and has provided electricity and water products to six customers between the U.S. and Spain.

About ProEconomica 

Are you ready to develop your entrepreneurial skills in order to become a really successful businessman? Do you want to manage your own company or compete with other players in a virtual world based on the concepts found in reality? Then go to ProEconomica and get into an unique economic adventure. Join a virtual world that brings you real experience.

Satellite services donated to restore communications in Vanuatu

Following the devastation left by Cyclone Pam to the South Pacific Islands of Vanuatu, satellite communications company SES S.A. and Digicel Pacific Limited have donated capacity and equipment to restore vital communication networks across Vanuatu.

Digicel is utilising capacity on SES’s NSS-9 satellite at 177 degrees West to re-establish communications networks and optimize relief operations and disaster recovery efforts in the cyclone-ravaged archipelago, where terrestrial networks have been damaged and in some cases destroyed.

“With widespread devastation across Vanuatu, humanitarian organizations are working to deliver food, water and supplies as quickly as possible. Re-establishing communication networks is hastening this process and helping the people of Vanuatu connect with anxious family and friends across the globe,” said Michael Murphy, Asia-Pacific CEO at Digicel. “Digicel wishes to thank our partners at SES for their close cooperation, responsiveness and support at this difficult time."

GPS, a large unaddressed critical infrastructure problem

If the complex satellite system that supports our country's global positioning system ever goes down, there's no backup. Cell phones, navigation systems, timing services and even critical defense programs are at risk.

Industry leaders from Google, Exelis, UrsaNav and other companies that depend on disaster-proof location and timing services are meeting at the annual Resilient Navigation and Timing (RNT) Foundation's dinner at the Metropolitan Club in Washington, DC on April 8.

The dinner's keynote speaker is Google's Vint Cerf, the "father of the Internet.” Terry Halvorsen, the CIO for the Department of Defense will also be speaking.

"The need for a difficult-to-disrupt system to complement the Global Positioning System (GPS) has been well known for years,” says RNT Foundation President Dana Goward. “GPS is exceptionally accurate and dependable, yet jamming, spoofing, cyber attacks and other forms of interference appear to be growing in frequency and severity. This has the potential for devastating effects on our lives and economic activity.”

In the meantime, the U.S. Air Force is prepared the ninth Global Positioning System (GPS) 2F satellite for launch on March 25 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

Special limited edition post office cover to mark solar eclipse

For the first time in 16 years, on Friday, a partial eclipse with the moon covering 92.8 percent of the sun will be seen over the Isle of Man. To mark the event, the Isle of Man Post Office will release a special limited edition cover to celebrate the eclipse.

The solar eclipse of 1999 saw only 88.2 percent partial coverage, making this year's potentially spectacular. Whereas, in the United Kingdom the proportion of the sun covered by the moon will increase towards the north, ranging from 84 percent in London to 89 percent in Manchester, 93 percent in Edinburgh, and 97 percent in Lerwick in the Shetland Isles.

The Post Office cover for the event includes three postmarks that show key times of the eclipse, as well as illustrating the moons passage over the sun. The cover is further complimented by three Dark Sky Discovery stamps placed on it from the Post Office's recently released Dark Sky Discovery stamp issue. 

Even if there is cloud coverage, a drop in light levels will be noticeable during the eclipse.

Timeline of events

• 4:42 a.m. EDT - Start of partial eclipse.
• 5:43 a.m. EDT - Start of total eclipse.
• 5:45 a.m. EDT - Maximum eclipse.
• 5:46 a.m. EDT - End of total eclipse.
• 6:50 a.m. EDT - End of partial eclipse.