After the upgrade, the GPS accuracy will be 60–90 cm

The GPS system consists of 24 satellites, and all of them are already in orbit for quite a long time (they were launched from 1990 to 1997). It's time to upgrade. In the near future, all devices of the current GPS standard will be replaced with a newer version of the GPS IIF , which has several advantages, including they are more resistant to jamming (now we need jammers 100 times more powerful).

But the main thing is that the GPS IIF provides much higher accuracy in determining the coordinates. If current satellites provide an error of 6 meters, then new satellites will be able to determine the location, as expected, with an accuracy of no more than 60–90 cm . If this accuracy is not only for military, but also for civilian applications, then this is good news for Foursquare users and owners of GPS navigators.

Moreover, such an increase in GPS accuracy means that it becomes possible to use satellite coordinates for software applications of a new class, such as augmented reality.

Currently, only one GPS satellite IIF SV-1 , which has been in full operation since August 27, 2010, has been launched into orbit. The second satellite, SV-2, will be launched this year.
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In total, the initial contract provided for the launch of 33 GPS satellites of a new generation, but then, due to technical problems, the start of the launch was postponed from 2006 to 2010, and the number of satellites was reduced from 33 to 12. All of them will be put into orbit soon.

The increased accuracy of the new generation GPS satellites was made possible by using more accurate atomic clocks . As the satellites travel at a speed of about 14,000 km / h, improving the accuracy of time even in the sixth digit is crucial for triangulation.


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