[Satellite TODAY 10-07-09] The U.S. Department of Defense extended its contract with Northrop Grumman to further demonstrate a GPS-free inertial navigation system through September, the company announced Oct. 5.
    The demonstration project, Ladar EO GPS/INS atomic clock navigation demonstration, makes use of electro-optic cameras, atomic clocks and advanced vision processing technologies to provide inertial navigation system updates to aircraft, ground vehicles and ground troops without the need for continuous GPS input to maintain precise position and time.
    “When GPS access is denied our warfighters in urban or indoor environments, they are often unable to maintain mission engagement. This inability to update the inertial navigation system with GPS causes a gradual loss of its precision navigation capability resulting in mission degradation or cancellation," Gorik Hossepian, vice president of navigation and positioning systems for Northrop Grumman, said in a statement.

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