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What Does the Global Positioning System Consist of?
in which the satellites are specifically arranged for maximum coverage over
Earth (Figure 4.1). The way the constellation is designed allows for a person
to be able to receive enough GPS signals to find their location wherever they
are on the planet. Twenty-four satellites is the minimum for a full constellation,
and there are currently several additional operational GPS satellites in orbit to
improve the global coverage.
The job of GPS satellites is to broadcast a set of signals down to Earth from
orbit. These signals (we’ll discuss this later) contain information about the
FIGURE 4.1 The
constellation of GPS
satellites orbiting Earth.
What Does the Global Positioning System Consist of?
in which the satellites are specifically arranged for maximum coverage over
Earth (Figure 4.1). The way the constellation is designed allows for a person
to be able to receive enough GPS signals to find their location wherever they
are on the planet. Twenty-four satellites is the minimum for a full constellation,
and there are currently several additional operational GPS satellites in orbit to
improve the global coverage.
The job of GPS satellites is to broadcast a set of signals down to Earth from
orbit. These signals (we’ll discuss this later) contain information about the
FIGURE 4.1 The
constellation of GPS
satellites orbiting Earth.