The United States has been a leader in satellite navigation technology for decades, with the US Global Positioning System (GPS) being a key player. Initially designed for military use, GPS has become indispensable to civilians, with use cases ranging from telecommunications to agriculture and ridesharing services. Today, there are 6 billion users around the world relying on GPS. However, it's not the only global navigation system; China's Beidou system has been rapidly advancing and is seen as a tool of diplomacy. China's GPS, Beidou, has 45 operational satellites and serves over 1.1 billion users in 2022. Beidou's rapid growth could have serious implications for the US, with experts worried that China may be emboldened to target it. China's Beidou system also features two-way messaging, a feature that's currently mainly available in China and allows users to send short text messages in areas without ground network cell coverage. This could potentially be used as a tracking device and a surveillance device for the Chinese. The US government has been working to modernize GPS, with the GPS III satellite system being the latest upgrade. However, technical issues in both the satellites and ground infrastructure have caused delays. The US needs to invest in and modernize its GPS system to ensure it remains reliable and resilient.
1. The United States has been a leader in satellite navigation technology for decades.
2. The US Global Positioning System (GPS) was initially designed as a military tool and is used for missile guidance and drone operation.
3. GPS has become indispensable to civilians, with use cases going far beyond point-to-point navigation.
4. GPS is used in all facets of daily life, including telecommunications, financial transactions, agriculture, and ridesharing services.
5. Over the past decade, trillions of dollars of economic activity have come from GPS.
6. A 2019 study estimated that the loss of GPS service would constitute a $1 billion-per-day impact on the US.
7. If an attack were to occur on the GPS system, it could bring many areas of logistics, supply chain, farming, and transportation systems to a grinding halt.
8. The US is not the only superpower to have developed satellite navigation technology. In 2020, China launched the last satellite needed to complete its own global navigation system, Beidou.
9. Over the last 20 years, China has moved from putting satellites over China to providing global coverage as of 2020.
10. Beidou is seen as a tool of diplomacy, with one analyst calling it Beijing's Declaration of Independence from the West.
11. The United States started launching its own navigation satellite systems in 1978.
12. Today, there are four different major global systems: the Russian system, GLONASS, the European Galileo, and China's Beidou.
13. Orbiting the Earth at an altitude of about 12,550 miles, today's GPS constellation is made up of 31 satellites.
14. GPS is owned by the US government and run by the Space Force, an independent military branch organized under the Air Force.
15. In a civilian capacity, the world of satellite navigation technology has been collaborative, with each country or group of countries offering use of their respective systems to the international community for free.
16. The first Beidou satellites were launched in 2000 and served only mainland China.
17. China's Beidou constellation is made up of 45 operational satellites, with 30 of those being the latest generation BDS 3 satellites.
18. Beidou's satellites work in tandem with a network of about 120 ground stations located around the world.
19. According to Chinese state media, the Beidou system served over 1.1 billion users in 2022.
20. China has invested aggressively in subsidizing ground infrastructure and supplying services to countries not well served by GPS.
21. Beidou's rapid growth could have serious implications for the US.
22. Two-way messaging, a feature in Beidou's latest satellites, allows users to send short text messages in areas without ground network cell coverage.
23. The Chinese government has touted the use of this technology as a tool for search and rescue missions.
24. The bigger fear is that people will move into the Beidou system, making it a tracking device, information device, and surveillance device for China