Tuesday, May 18, 2010

GPS Signals Will Improve Thanks To Massive $8bn Overhaul


Despite fears last year that the US Air Force wouldn't be able to afford many more GPS satellites, a massive $8bn upgrade is being planned for overhauling the satellites, replacing each of the 24 satellites over the next decade.

The Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo will be working on the upgrade (said to be three years behind schedule), with 24 going "upstairs" and six being kept back in case of damage. The new satellites will be targeting outages, and will triple the signals available for commercial use—meaning that accessing Google Maps on our phones, using Sat-Navs in our cars, or even withdrawing money from ATMs will be faster and more accurate than before.