A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) warns Congress that years of under-investment in the US-owned Global Positioning System (GPS) has left the satellite-based system at risk of serious failure.
GPS operates via a network of satellites positioned around the globe. Many of these satellites are ageing and may begin to fail in the near future. The system is fault-tolerant in that it can still operate with one or more satellites out of action, but in such a case performance would suffer, with users encountering blackspots or receiving less accurate positioning data.
The report states:
It is uncertain whether the Air Force will be able to acquire new satellites in time to maintain current GPS service without interruption. If not, some military operations and some civilian users could be adversely affected.
The GPS system was developed by the Department of Defense and the US Air Force, primarily for military purposes including weapon targeting systems and navigation of military vehicles and troops. However, the system is freely available for civilian use around the world; billions of consumer devices including car-based satnav modules, smartphones and even high-tech sports watches rely on the network to operate.
According to the report, upgrades to the system have been beset with delays and overspending, with the launch of the first replacement satellite now running almost three years behind schedule (now set for November this year, but originally scheduled to be launched in early 2007).
Whilst few believe that the US government will allow GPS to fall into serious disrepair, the delays allow other systems to gain ground. The EU is pushing ahead with its modern alternative to GPS, Galileo, whilst China has its Compass satellite navigation network and Russia is upgrading its aging GLONASS system with investment from India.
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