Boeing recently handed over control of the fifth Global Positioning System IIF satellite to the Air Force, according to an April 8 company release. The GPS IIF, which launched on Feb. 20, joins the rest of the GPS constellation and “increases the precision of position, navigation, and timing data sent to users around the world,” states the release. The Air Force is slated to receive a total of 12 GPS IIFs from Boeing in the coming years. “As each GPS IIF joins the fleet, we are sustaining and modernizing the constellation for years to come,” said Craig Cooning, Boeing’s vice president and general manager of space and intelligence systems. The Air Force, which is operating the satellite, and Boeing have “completed deployment and validation of the spacecraft’s systems, stabilizing the vehicle, and activating its navigation payload,” according to the release. The sixth satellite is slated “for a second-quarter launch,” states the release.
The congressionally chartered National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence has completed its work, but the team that created its 756-page report will continue, backed this time by its former chair, Eric Schmidt, who is committing his own money to the new effort, dubbed the "Special Competitive Studies Project." Schmidt continues…