Finally, the EU's Giove-B GPS satellite was shot into space by the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Strapped atop a Soyuz-FG rocket, the Giove-B reached orbit at 8:01am this morning, and is the second satellite launched for the nascent next-generation European Galileo satellite navigation system. This particular model is kitted out with dual redundant rubidium atomic clocks that the ESA says are "the most accurate in space". The next bird -- just three of thirty -- is slated to go up in 2010 with a full-system launch around 2013. Until then, it looks like they'll be stuck using the US's crappy, less-sensitive GPS network (boo hoo).

[Via Physorg]

If you've bought a GPS unit in the past year or two there are decent odds it's based on the SiRFstar III chipset, which has been about as good as it gets since it arrived on the scene a few years ago. Now there's a new chip on the block, SiRFprima, which could have GPS aficionados kicking those SiRFstar III units to the curb. The unit boasts "industry leading" GPS performance, and is the first of its ilk to be able to work with GPS and Galileo signals simultaneously. InstantFixII -- which promises 5 second start times -- is built in as well, along with 3D acceleration for the fancy new maps hitting the scenes, and the capability to work with external devices like touch screens, DVD players, video cameras and so forth. While no one feature is revolutionary, the fact that SiRFprima will be wrapping up all these features into a cute little package for GPS manufacturers to slap into their units without a worry -- which should start happening in the second quarter of this year -- is surely cause for celebration.

Russia has announced the successful launch of three additional GLONASS navigation satellites on Christmas Day, bringing the total number of functional units to 18, and reportedly scaring the beejezus out of Santa and his reindeer during liftoff. The GPS competitor -- first begun in the Soviet era and only recently revived after years of post-collapse neglect -- is now theoretically capable of providing coverage to the entire Russian territory, with First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov claiming that the first compatible consumer devices will be available in the middle of next year. By 2010 Russia plans to open the system up to outside nations as well, contributing to an eventual three- or even four-system global market, and ensuring that President and Man of the Year Vladimir Putin will finally achieve his stated goal of being able to pinpoint his treasured black lab Koni anywhere in the world.

The European Union's next generation satellite navigation system has finally gotten to green light from all involved parties... except Spain. As we reported in July, the project had gotten the high five from US interests, but the works had been stalled as Spain fought to maintain a control center in Madrid. In the end, 26 of the 27 member states of the Union decided to move forward with the project, declining Spain's request, and leaving them to bow out of the agreement. As of now, there will only be control centers in Germany and Italy, but the project will begin to move forward once again, with a launch slated for 2013. Says EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot, "Galileo will become the spearhead for European technology." We're all for the new system, but we hope a few satellites don't spark another Thirty Years' War.

We've seen a plethora of robots crawl over all sorts of obstacles without blowing a gasket or anything, but the Galileo prefers to handle rough terrain by simply changing the shape of its treads rather than blowing up anything in its path or finding clever ways to scoot around. Judging by an informative (if not monotonous) video clip of the robot in action, this "hybrid tracked" creature sports a pair of wheels along with flexible treads on each side, and it can reshape the tracks as necessary to achieve the desired grip when meeting stairs, cinder blocks or a wide variety of slumbering animals in the wild. There's also a built-in camera integrated into the oh-so-helpful "tail," which can apply downward pressure in order to give the creation a boost when needed. We've inflated this thing's ego enough -- just click on through to see the Galileo gettin' into (and out of) all sorts of trouble.

[Via SciFiTech]

The United States and the European Union are moving forward on a common system of satellite navigation after reaching an agreement on a joint civil signal for the technology. The US system, called Navstar GPS, is the only fully operational GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) currently in use, though the EU's Galileo project is in the initial stages of deployment. The new agreement eliminates compatibility and security issues, and will allow makers of GPS equipment to increase their devices interoperability by utilizing the new common signals, dubbed GPS L1C and Galileo L1F. The European Commission's Director-General Matthais Ruete says the agreement will "facilitate the rapid acceptance of Galileo in global markets side by side with GPS." Which probably means we're going to begin to see a whole slew of new satellite technology hitting both shores in the near future. Huzzah!

According to what appears to be a promotional flyer for Garmin's new lineup of eTrex devices, the company will be launching four new handhelds this fall, three of which will boast Galileo-readiness. The Venture HC looks to be the lone bandit sans Galileo support, but does sport 24MB of internal memory, USB connectivity, a WAAS-enabled 12 channel parallel GPS receiver, 2.1- x 1.3-inch backlit display, trip computer, automatic track log, celestial tables, and waterproof abilities as well. The eTrex H holds it down on the low-end by mimicking the older eTrex and adding future Galileo support via a "drop-in chip," while the Legend HCx handles microSD expansion cards and the top-end Vista HCx adds in a barometric altimeter and an electronic compass. Each unit should purportedly hit shelves sometime this fall, and depending on which model you go for, you'll be spending between $119.94 and $319.94 in Canada, or $111 and $295 here in the US of A. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via NaviGadget]

Although Galileo, the European alternative to GPS, has been beset by endless delays and even the ignominy of having its access system hacked almost immediately, the project continues to make slow progress this week with the transmission of its first navigation message. GIOVE-A, the first of a planned 30 satellites, has been floating overhead since the beginning of last year, but had only been sending "general signals" until the test last week, when the bird sent the data needed to measure the distance between itself and a ground station in Guildford, England. That's a big step, since the system is supposed go live next year and be fully operational by 2011 or so. Here's hoping all goes well -- the American-owned GPS system keeps sending European drivers into the drink.

Ryan Caron over at Defense Tech has some hefty analysis on China's plans for their very own satellite navigation system, named Compass. No one is really clear what China's intentions for the system are, with rumors ranging from a minor upgrade to their regional Beidou system, to a full-on competitor to USA's GPS and Europe's Galileo. So far the most solid step China has taken towards actually building the system is an order of 18-20 rubidium atomic clocks that are necessary for syncing up satellites, but which have many other military uses. Ryan theorizes that China might just be bluffing about building a system of their own, in a bid to regain a piece of the Galileo pie, which they, along with all other non-European countries, have been unceremoniously written out of starting next year. More alarmingly, a global satnav system run by China would have the potential to operate as a jammer of US and European signals, another reason the various groups involved are so guarded with their systems. However it plays out, China currently has 32 satellite slots registered with the International Telecommunications Union for Compass, and bluff or not, there's a lot of potential there.

The insightful minds over at Cornell University's GPS Laboratory aren't messing around -- they only needed one week to hack the GIOVE-A (Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element-A, more commonly referred to as Galileo) and gain access to the European satellite system without those pesky PRN codes. If you're overwhelmed by acronyms, fear not, the jist is as follows: these guys at Cornell did the legwork in developing an algorithm to extract the pseudo random number codes that are used to give customers access to the Galileo GPS system, which unlike America's taxpayer-owned militarily-developed and free GPS setup, is funded by the European Union, European Space Agency, and private organizations (read: service comes at a cost). What those oh so hopeful profiteers obviously disregarded was the little known fact that, well, (right now) it's impossible to copyright physical data about the world, leaving them all but helpless here. So please, should you need access to another set of GPS sats, be our guest and snag all those previously unavailable and presumably costly PRN codes at your leisure.