AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2019 - 95

P&E

ADS-B

Time to look up?
Satellite surveillance could change ADS-B

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BY MIKE COLLINS

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THIS IS ONE OF THE SPACEX FALCON 9 rockets that delivered 75 Iridium NEXT satellites to low

IRIDIUM COMMUNICATIONS INC.

Earth orbit. Today Aireon payloads aboard the 66 operational satellites, backed up by nine
spares, provide the first operational space-based ADS-B aircraft tracking system.

NAV CANADA HAS CONFIRMED that its
space-based Automatic Dependent
Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Out
mandate will require antenna diversity-transponder antennas on both the bottom and top
of the aircraft (see "ADS-B: Going Global,"
April 2019 AOPA Pilot). Air traffic control
providers in several countries-including
the FAA, for specific applications-also
are exploring the satelitte concept. In fact,
enough future ADS-B benefits could be
based on 1090 MHz (the international standard) that some aircraft owners may see
1090 in their future.
The future of antenna diversity-which
improves an aircraft's visibility to satellites
and also increases cost-is not clear beyond
Nav Canada.
ADS-B uses GPS satellites instead of
ground-based radar to determine aircraft
location, and is a key technology behind the
FAA's Next Generation Air Transportation

System. The FAA has mandated ADS-B Out
for flights after January 1, 2020, in airspace
where a transponder is required today.
Aireon, the first real-time, global air
traffic surveillance system, became fully
operational April 2 and entered trial use
over the North Atlantic. ADS-B data is collected by payloads aboard the constellation
of 66 operational Iridium NEXT satellites
in low Earth orbit. Nav Canada is majority
partner in Aireon, a joint venture between
Iridium Communications and several other
national air navigation service providers.
On June 4, Aireon was approved by the
European Union Aviation Safety Agency
(EASA) as an air navigation service provider
organization-becoming the first-ever certified provider of aircraft surveillance as a
service, Aireon said.
Using Aireon, air traffic controllers are
testing the reduction of aircraft in-trail separation distances over the North Atlantic
aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 95

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2019