[Satellite TODAY 08-25-09] Globalstar and subsidiary Spot Satellite selected the AMY-5M GPS receiver module from U-blox, an embedded positioning and wireless communication solutions, and Axonn, its manufacturer, as the unit to house the next-generation Spot GPS Messenger, U-blox and Axonn announced Aug. 24.
    Globalstar said it gave Axonn and U-blox difficult design and delivery requirements for a product that would be smaller, lighter and easier to use than the original Spot device. “We are pleased that our AMY-5M GPS module was able to fulfill Globalstar’s requirements for high sensitivity, wide temperature range and extremely small package size,” Nikolaos Papadopoulos, president of U-blox, said in a statement.
    The Spot Messenger GPS unit, launched in 2007, delivers location coordinates and select messages via Globalstar’s constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites. As of March 31, Globalstar said it had received orders to ship more than 120,000 units to customers around the globe.

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