The first GPS satellite was launched in 1978, under the direct command of the US military forces. More than thirty other satellites have been launched ever since for military, aviation and individual usage worldwide. The very existence of the Global Positioning System has in fact claimed the life of more than one GPS satellite, lost during the launch or on the orbit. Some orbiting devices expired, others required replacements for technical purposes, but what matters most is how the technology is applied in the performance of daily tasks. The decoding of the satellite signal is done by a GPS device or receiver that provides the exact geographical location according to three-dimensional coordinates.

Science has made such progress that GPS satellite navigation is now incorporated in the design of smartphones. The GPS seems to have become an integrated part of people’s life, but one has to wonder what will happen in a couple of years when the now orbiting satellites will have to be replaced. At present, there are management and funding issues that impair the proper reconditioning of the GPS applications. The US Air Force maintains the entire GPS satellite structure, but according to a recent May 2009 report, there are economic difficulties to be overcome.

The average user will hardly notice if any of the 31 orbiting satellites will fail, because normally, four satellites at time on the sky are enough to provide adequate information. There is a certain redundancy in the way information is provided, because sometimes, six up to eight satellites can get connected to a GPS receiver for the same tasks. But in the eventuality of no real time positioning with the GPS satellite structures, we’d have to return to the use of maps all over again. The military, maritime and transportation systems would be the most affected if the satellites are not reconditioned.

In order to offer an alternative to the GPS satellite predominance, European states prepare to launch an independent satellite navigation system in 2010. There are other countries that have individual satellite navigation and here we can count India, China or Russia. Regardless of how things are sorted out in terms of administration, implementation and foreign policy at the global level, the average user will not be affected by the different modifications in the way the GPS satellite communication works. More and more people will in fact start using GPS devices for increased efficiency of navigation.

—————————
When the author isn’t being tracked, she has a collection of interests in psychic readings, Seattle HCG diet, and BMW Z4 windscreen windblocker wind deflector.