Information on upcoming and past meetings can be found on our Meetings page.
On September 14, 2026, Governor Josh Green issued an emergency proclamation in response to recent hurricanes affecting the Hawaiian Islands (Second Proclamation Relating to September 2026 Tropical Cyclones). On September 15, 2026, the Department of Land and Natural Resources announced that the deadline for BLNR’s determination on the Final EIS has been suspended pursuant to the emergency proclamation. BLNR stated that it will notify the public of significant developments in the environmental review process (NR Deadline Suspended for Pacific Missile Range Facility and Kōkeʻe Park, Sep 15 2026).
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Department of the Navy (Navy) have jointly prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of proposed real estate agreements with the State of Hawai‘i for the Kōke‘e Park Geophysical Observatory (KPGO) and the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF). NASA and the Navy held a public comment period on the Draft EIS from June 20, 2025, to August 7, 2025. During the public comment period, NASA and the Navy held three public meetings in July 2025 at three locations on Kaua‘i (Līhuʻe, Kekaha, and Kapaʻa) to provide project information to the public and to receive public comments on the Draft EIS. The Final EIS includes responses to substantive comments received on the Draft EIS. The Board of Land and Natural Resources will determine acceptability of the Final EIS in accordance with the Hawai‘i Environmental Policy Act (HEPA) and publish their determination in The Environmental Notice. Following a 30-day wait period, NASA and the Navy will publish their own Records of Decision.
This novel CubeSat, known as the Geodetic Reference Instrument Transponder for Small Satellites, or GRITSS, will demonstrate the feasibility of a new technique for connecting three independent observing systems: the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) stations, which use radio telescopes; GPS receivers, which use navigation satellites; and Satellite Laser Ranging, which relies on lasers to measure a distance from the ground to a retroreflector in space.
A NASA laser reflecting technology that will aid Global Positioning System (GPS) accuracy is now operational as of March 9. The instrument, known as a laser retroreflector array, or LRA, launched aboard GPS III SV-09, the ninth of U.S. Space Force's Block III Global Positioning System satellites, on Jan. 27. See the full article on the science.nasa.gov website.
The U.S. Department of the Navy (Navy) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have jointly prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of proposed real estate agreements with the State of Hawai‘i for the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) and the Kōke‘e Park Geophysical Observatory (KPGO). Public involvement is an integral part of the environmental planning process. The public has an important role in providing input during this process to help the Navy and NASA make more informed decisions about the proposed real estate action including on the environmental impacts of the alternatives, environmental or cultural concerns, information the public would like the Navy and NASA to know, and any other information the public would like to see addressed in the Final EIS.
On November 26th, at 23:17 UTC, SGSLR at GGAO acquired and tracked its first satellite. This represents a significant milestone towards the deployment of the first operational SGSLR station in late 2025, located in Ny-Ålesund, Norway. The satellite tracked was STARLETTE, a geodetic ball 24 centimeters in diameter, in an eccentric orbit at 812-1114 km. SGSLR prepares to track simultaneously with MOBLAS 7 during co-location comparisons, as the station exits its integration and test phase early in the new year.
SGSLR laser firing at night at GGAO
GGOS releases short film highlighting the Terrestrial Reference Frame 07/29/2024
The GGOS (Global Geodetic Observing System) Coordinating Office has now released a new 2.5-minute short film highlighting the critical role of geodetic terrestrial reference frames. This video is primarily aimed at the general public and has been produced in collaboration with the UN-GGCE (United Nations Global Geodetic Center of Excellence). The video is available with subtitles in over 16 languages and can be viewed on the GGOS YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfqq-0d2txk.
ACs.
The ACC is responsible for establishing the detailed specifications for IGS products, while working closely with ACs and the IGS Reference Frame Coordinator. Additionally, the ACC works closely with the ACs in the generation of other IGS analysis products, including the content of the IGS ACC website (https://igs.org/acc/). The new NASA/GA+ ACC will undertake a phased approach to ensure a smooth and thorough transition towards a fully multi-GNSS IGS, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of future GNSS products, while working towards achieving the IGS strategic goal of “multi-GNSS Technical Excellence.”
Lockheed Martin receives Laser Retroflector Arrays for GPS III SV9, SV10 07/10/2024
In partnership with NASA and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the U.S. Space Force GPS III Program Office has delivered two laser retroflector arrays to Lockheed Martin. On May 6, the LRAs were delivered under a directed program to rapidly integrate hosted payloads on GPS satellites ahead of launch call up. The LRAs will be installed onto two GPS III satellites, SV9 and SV10, in preparation for a 2025 launch.
The addition of the LRA hosted payload onto GPS satellites marks an expansion of NASA’s Space Geodesy Program space instrument network. The GPS III LRAs will allow NASA to make precise range measurements to the sub-centimeter level using the Satellite Laser Ranging technique, enabling accurate determination of the Earth’s center. The NASA Space Geodesy Program and NGA will use collected SLR data from the GPS III LRAs to maintain a globally available, high quality terrestrial reference frame.
Read more on spaceforce.mil
In February 2024, NASA published a set of normal points from the Apache Point Lunar Laser Ranging Station to the NASA Crustal Dynamics Data Information System (CDDIS) spanning the entire operations of the station, April 2006 through mid-January 2024. This timespan includes data prior to NASA taking over stewardship of the station that was not previously released in part due to ongoing development of software related to the Absolute Calibration System (ACS) that was installed in late 2016. NASA stewardship of the station helped continue and complete the ACS software development, which prompted a re-processing of all the data to improve its accuracy.
The Navy and NASA are jointly preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential impacts of real estate agreements with the State of Hawai'i, Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) for state lands at PMRF and KPGO. The Navy and NASA encourage the public to participate in this environmental review process. The Navy and NASA will be initiating a public scoping period and holding public meetings in early 2024. The public can participate during the public scoping period by providing input on the proposed real estate action and issues to be considered in development of the EIS.
View fact sheet
NASA Laser Reflecting Instruments to Help Pinpoint Earth Measurements 12/08/2023
The best known use of GPS satellites is to help people know their location whether driving a car, navigating a ship or plane, or trekking across remote territory. Another important, but lesser-known, use is to distribute information to other Earth-viewing satellites to help them pinpoint measurements of our planet.
NASA and several other federal agencies, including the U.S. Space Force, U.S. Space Command, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency are improving the location accuracy of these measurements down to the millimeter with a new set of laser retroreflector arrays, or LRAs.
"The primary benefit of laser ranging and LRAs is to improve the geolocation of all of our Earth observations," said Stephen Merkowitz, project manager for NASA's Space Geodesy Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The National Geodetic Survey posted the results of their May 2023 local tie survey at the NASA Kōkeʻe Park Geophysical Observatory (KPGO). The survey establishes high-precision local tie vectors between the geodetic stations and their associated reference marks. Data collection consisted of terrestrial observations with an absolute laser tracker system, a total station, and survey-grade GNSS instrumentation. The local relationships were aligned to the International Terrestrial Reference Frame at the epoch date of the survey, ITRF2020 (2023/05/13). The survey results, report, and SINEX file are available at the NGS website: https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/corbin/iss/index.shtml.
New employee Glenn Victa has joined the KPGO operations team.
A new MHM-2020 model Sigma-Tau Maser (SN:371) manufactured by Microchip, Inc. was delivered to KPGO. Station operations is monitoring the hydrogen maser stabilization process which typically requires 60 – 90 days to complete. A maser is critical to operations because it maintains stable, accurate time measurements across all connected instrumentation.
As a tracking station for the Mercury and Gemini programs in the early 1960s, the state of Hawaii and NASA have shared historic advancements in space science.
A team from the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) was on-site to provide a re-survey of the KPGO station. The survey was performed to validate a new geodetic measurement technique that provides increased precision.
IVS Holds Technical Operations Workshop at MIT Haystack Observatory 05/16/2023
KPGO operations supported the French National Space Agency for Space Studies (CNES) during installation of new equipment to support 2024 mission objectives proposed for Doppler Orbitography by Radiopositioning Integrated on Satellite (DORIS).
KPGO operations personnel supported the installation of a new Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) station, including a Met4a weather station, replacing the original QZSS station at the site.
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"Leaders in Lidar" Video Series 02/03/2023
For those interested in the Legacy of Goddard's lead role in laser altimetry, you can view the recently released "Leaders in Lidar" Series (All Episodes – Youtube). "In this series, we dive into the legacy of Goddard's lead role in developing laser altimetry, which has revolutionized the way we map our planet, the Moon and other planets. Each chapter looks at the successes and failures of these lidar instruments, beginning with the Mars Observer Laser Altimeter in the late 1980s, through the current generation of laser altimeters on ICESat-2 and GEDI. Through dozens of interviews and archival footage, the history, challenges and legacy of lidar are uncovered." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w06s8x-0smE
The 20-Meter antenna celebrated 30 years to the NASA Space Geodesy Project campaign. The system receiver is of NRAO design configured with dual polarization feed using cooled 15 K HEMT amplifiers. The antenna is of the same design and manufactured similarly as those used at Green Bank, WV. and Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. A Mark 5B+ recorder is currently used for all data recording tasks.
NASA Delivers First Flight Hardware to ESA for Lunar Pathfinder 12/02/2022
NASA delivered the first flight hardware for the Lunar Pathfinder mission to ESA (European Space Agency), which formally accepted the instrument on Nov. 4. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, developed the instrument, a laser retroreflector array, which will test new navigation techniques for lunar missions.
NASA and ESA plan to launch Lunar Pathfinder via a future Commercial Lunar Payload Services delivery. In addition to testing navigation capabilities, Lunar Pathfinder will operate as a commercial communications relay satellite and provide communications services for exploration missions on the lunar surface.
The Gimbal with Mass Simulator was removed from the GGAO SGSLR facility in June 2022 and shipped back to Cobham. After the Factory Acceptance Test at Cobham in Lansdale, the Gimbal and Telescope Assembly (GTA) #1 was shipped to GGAO and installed in the SGSLR shelter in late June 2022. Preparations for the Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) were begun shortly after installation.
