2012
2012 – IRNSS
The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) will include ## satellites providing coverage primarily for South Asia. Like the Japanese system, ## of the ## will be in non-equatorial GEO, while ## will be in traditional GEO. The first satellite is scheduled to be launched in early 2013. India also has a GPS augmentation system called GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN, which is Hindi for “sky”), designed to improve air navigation in India. In September 2012, the second of three GAGAN payloads was put in orbit aboard the GSAT-10 satellite.
2012 – Galileo
Europe also has made strides in developing its PNT system, Galileo. A joint initiative between the European Commission (EC) and ESA, the Galileo constellation will consist of ## operational satellites and ## in-orbit spares flying in MEO. The initial Galileo constellation is expected to be in place between 2014 and 2016. In October 2012, Europe launched the ## and ## Galileo in-orbit validation (IOV) satellites, joining ## more IOV satellites that were deployed one year earlier. Once activated, this ##-satellite validation fleet, built by Astrium, will demonstrate Galileo’s ability to provide highly precise, three-dimensional positioning.
2012 – BeiDou
Since 2000, China has been building its own PNT system, known as BeiDou. In December 2011, the Chinese government announced that its initial services—location data and SMS messaging—commenced for users within China. The two-way nature of this system allows the Chinese government to track the position of terrestrial BeiDou users, enabling applications such as asset tracking. Basic services to surrounding regions in Asia were scheduled to commence in 2012.
2012 – GLONASS
After a 15-year hiatus, Russia’s GLONASS PNT system returned to fully operational status in 2011, re-establishing full global coverage. The GLONASS constellation was started by the Soviet Union in 1982 and was briefly operational in 1996 after its ## satellite was deployed. However, due in part to the Russian financial crisis in the 1990s, funding to maintain the network evaporated and it fell into disrepair. Without replacements, the fleet had only ## functioning satellites by 2002.
2012 – GPS
To many consumers, all satellite-based navigation is synonymous with the term “GPS,” but this acronym only refers to one specific network. The U.S. Navigation Signal Timing and Ranging Global Positioning System (NAVSTAR-GPS or GPS) was developed by the USAF and, until recently, was the only fully operational global satellite-based navigation network that supported civilian and commercial use. Operational since 1995, the system uses at least ## active satellites in MEO to provide global coverage while maintaining others in orbit as backups. The Air Force currently maintains ## GPS satellites, plus ## to ## decommissioned satellites that can still be reactivated as needed.
2012 – Bigelow Space Stations
In addition to the ISS and Chinese efforts, there are other plans, of varying degrees of maturity, for other space stations. Bigelow Aerospace has been developing inflatable module technology that can be used for commercial space stations. Two prototype spacecraft, Genesis I and II, were launched in 2006 and 2007, respectively, to demonstrate the technology.
2012 – ISS
The ISS is the largest spacecraft currently in orbit, measuring 109 meters (358 feet) long, with a mass of almost 419,500 kilograms (925,000 pounds). The station was developed and is operated by an international partnership of NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
2012 – U.S. Suborbital
A new aspect of space infrastructure is the development of suborbital reusable launch vehicles (RLVs). Unlike sounding rockets, these vehicles are designed to land intact and be flown again. Stimulated by the $## million Ansari X PRIZE, won in 2004 by Scaled Composites’ SpaceShipOne vehicle, several companies are actively developing such vehicles to serve space tourism, research, and other applications. The technical approaches of the companies vary, from vehicles that take off and land horizontally on runways to vehicles that launch and land vertically.
2012 – Other Countries, Launch, Payload
In 2012, several smaller countries and organizations demonstrated their ability, or at least ambitions, to conduct an orbital space launch. The privately held Sea Launch company, which focuses on deploying commercial communications satellites to geosynchronous orbit (GEO), declared bankruptcy in 2010.
2012 – India Launch, Payload
In 2012, the Indian space program carried out ## launches, consistent with recent launch tempos for the Indian space program. India has worked to create and maintain an independent space launch capability and is poised to enhance its capabilities over the next several years with the development of a new cryogenic engine that will be used to power a new, larger final propulsion stage for India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).