The first satellite geolocation system was introduced in the United States in the 1970s. Originally, this system was only available for military purposes. It was not until the early 2000s that the system opened to the general public. Since its inception, the Global Positioning System has evolved significantly and other countries have also developed their own system, including Galileo in Europe and Glonass in Russia.
Almost 50 years after the launch of the first GPS, the United States wants to put into orbit a new generation of their system. A first module of the new GPS, Magellan, was placed in orbit in December 2018 by the Elon Musk company, SpaceX. This first module is still in the testing phase today to make sure everything works.
In parallel with its tests, the second module has already been launched. It was the United Launch Alliance that took care of the placement in orbit. The shot was fired from the base in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
If the launch went well, it will take several months before it is operational. The United States hopes to exploit their new GPS Magellan system during the year 2020 or even 2021.
Source link
https://geeko.lesoir.be/2019/08/23/les-etats-unis-lanceront-bientot-leur-nouveau-reseau-gps-magellan/
