The Global Positioning System (GPS) allows our drones to find their three-dimensional position by listening to the signals from several satellites. The receivers we have today are small, cheap, fast, and accurate. The first GPS receiver I used was too heavy for one person to lift. Thankfully, the receivers and the satellites have continued to evolve. Figure 18-1 shows one of the latest generation of satellites.
Figure 18-1. A GPS series IIIa satellite, courtesy NASA
GPS found its way into aircraft and survey crews years ago, but it took the cell phone revolution to make the receivers as small and cheap as the one we will use. ...
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