Originally published at Space Innovation Congress Blog: “To beef up security, US military officials are also adding commercial satellite receivers to aircraft, trucks and other equipment in case their own protected communications capabilities are hacked or degraded.  Iridium is about to launch a backup service for the Air Force’s Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites.  It is working with Satelles, a private firm that delivers timing and location signals using Iridium’s 66 low-earth satellites rather than ground-based terminals, to make them more secure.   Desch said the new service, to be launched in April, would allow the military and other users to get location and timing data using inexpensive chips.   He said they are working with at least 20 interested parties in this area, including military and civilian government agencies and private companies.  Link to original article