GPS and its Competitors: The Status of Satellite Navigation

The Russian Global Navigation Satellite System has survived the dark days of the post-Soviet period and is being reconstituted. Meanwhile, China is fielding its own Beidou satellite navigation system known as Compass. Europe seems finally ready to push forward with its Galileo program. But all three remain overshadowed by the U.S. Global Positioning System, which will continue to define global satellite navigation for the foreseeable future.