For months, investment banks have been pounding the table with this idea: Even as there are conflicting signals pointing to a double-dip recession, one sector of the economy, luxury, is enjoying renewed buoyancy and that buoyancy is likely to remain even if there are economic shocks in the second half.

FORBES: Luxury: A Bright Spot In A Double-Dip World

The final constellation of 30 satellites will more than double the spacecraft providing the American Global Positioning System, increasing the accuracy and reliability of navigation and timing signals that can be received across the planet.

BBC: NEWS | Science/Nature | EU-US strike sat-navigation deal