quasi-zenith

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  • Kyodo via Reuters

    Japan's latest GPS satellite will guide self-driving cars

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    10.10.2017

    Japan just fulfilled a key part of its space ambitions -- and it'll have important ramifications for everything from self-driving cars to self-defense. The country has launched its fourth Michibiki satellite, which expands a "quasi-zenith" system designed to provide greater access to GPS in urban 'canyons' where buildings tend to block signals from lower-orbit satellites. Needless to say, that's vital for autonomous vehicles that need GPS to get their bearings in a country dominated by sprawling cities.