What Is GPS and How Does It Work? The GPS system is operated by the US government, and has three components, or “segments.” The first is the Space Segment, which consists of between 24 and 32 ...

How GPS Works: Accuracy When the forerunner of today’s Global Positioning System was launched by the U.S. Navy in 1957 to track submarines during the Cold War, GPS was largely a military ...

In space, especially beyond Earth’s orbit, GPS signals become unreliable or simply vanish. The same applies underwater, where ...