diff --git a/build_scripts/ubuntu_sim_ros_gazebo.sh b/build_scripts/ubuntu_sim_ros_gazebo.sh
index a8a74206b96..c25d6f5d0cc 100644
--- a/build_scripts/ubuntu_sim_ros_gazebo.sh
+++ b/build_scripts/ubuntu_sim_ros_gazebo.sh
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ if [[ $wget_return_code -ne 0 ]]; then echo "Error downloading 'ubuntu_sim_commo
 # Otherwise source the downloaded script.
 . <(echo "${common_deps}")
 
-# ROS Kinetic/Gazebo (ROS Kinetic includes Gazebo7 by default)
+# Setup gazebo: ROS Kinetic includes Gazebo7, ROS Melodic includes Gazebo9
 ## Gazebo simulator dependencies
 sudo apt-get install protobuf-compiler libeigen3-dev libopencv-dev -y
 
@@ -28,12 +28,20 @@ sudo apt-key adv --keyserver hkp://ha.pool.sks-keyservers.net:80 --recv-key 421C
 ## For keyserver connection problems substitute hkp://pgp.mit.edu:80 or hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:80 above.
 sudo apt-get update
 ## Get ROS/Gazebo
-sudo apt-get install ros-kinetic-desktop-full -y
+if [[ $(lsb_release -sc) == *"bionic"* ]]; then
+  sudo apt-get install ros-melodic-desktop-full -y
+  source /opt/ros/melodic/setup.bash
+elif [[ $(lsb_release -sc) == *"xenial"* ]]; then
+  sudo apt-get install ros-kinetic-desktop-full -y
+  source /opt/ros/kinetic/setup.bash
+else
+  echo "OS version detected as $(lsb_release -sc), could not find valid ROS distro"
+fi
 ## Initialize rosdep
 sudo rosdep init
 rosdep update
 ## Setup environment variables
-rossource="source /opt/ros/kinetic/setup.bash"
+rossource="source /opt/ros/$ROS_DISTRO/setup.bash"
 if grep -Fxq "$rossource" ~/.bashrc; then echo ROS setup.bash already in .bashrc;
 else echo "$rossource" >> ~/.bashrc; fi
 eval $rossource
@@ -59,12 +67,19 @@ rosinstall_generator mavlink | tee -a /tmp/mavros.rosinstall
 ### Setup workspace & install deps
 wstool merge -t src /tmp/mavros.rosinstall
 wstool update -t src
-if ! rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src --rosdistro kinetic -y; then
+if ! rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src --rosdistro $ROS_DISTRO -y; then
     # (Use echo to trim leading/trailing whitespaces from the unsupported OS name
     unsupported_os=$(echo $(rosdep db 2>&1| grep Unsupported | awk -F: '{print $2}'))
-    rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src --rosdistro kinetic -y --os ubuntu:xenial
+    rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src --rosdistro $ROS_DISTRO -y --os ubuntu:$(lsb_release -sc)
 fi
+
+echo "Installing geographiclib dependencies"
+sudo apt-get install libgeographic-dev -y
+sudo apt-get install geographiclib-tools -y
+sudo pip install future
+
 ## Build!
+catkin config --extend /opt/ros/$ROS_DISTRO
 catkin build
 ## Re-source environment to reflect new packages/build environment
 catkin_ws_source="source ~/catkin_ws/devel/setup.bash"
@@ -72,21 +87,22 @@ if grep -Fxq "$catkin_ws_source" ~/.bashrc; then echo ROS catkin_ws setup.bash a
 else echo "$catkin_ws_source" >> ~/.bashrc; fi
 eval $catkin_ws_source
 
-echo "Downloading dependent script 'install_geographiclib_datasets.sh'"
-# Source the install_geographiclib_datasets.sh script directly from github
-install_geo=$(wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mavlink/mavros/master/mavros/scripts/install_geographiclib_datasets.sh -O -)
-wget_return_code=$?
-# If there was an error downloading the dependent script, we must warn the user and exit at this point.
-if [[ $wget_return_code -ne 0 ]]; then echo "Error downloading 'install_geographiclib_datasets.sh'. Sorry but I cannot proceed further :("; exit 1; fi
-# Otherwise source the downloaded script.
-sudo bash -c "$install_geo"
-
 # Go to the firmware directory
 clone_dir=~/src
 cd $clone_dir/Firmware
 
+## Edit bashrc to contain firmware related paths
+firmware_source="source ~/src/Firmware/Tools/setup_gazebo.bash ~/src/Firmware ~/src/Firmware/build/px4_sitl_default > /dev/null"
+if grep -Fxq "$firmware_source" ~/.bashrc; then echo firmware setup already in .bashrc; 
+else echo "$firmware_source" >> ~/.bashrc; fi
+eval $firmware_source
+
+ros_package='export ROS_PACKAGE_PATH=${ROS_PACKAGE_PATH}:/home/tanja/src/Firmware:/home/tanja/src/Firmware/Tools/sitl_gazebo'
+if grep -Fxq "$ros_package" ~/.bashrc; then echo ros package path already in .bashrc; 
+else echo "$ros_package" >> ~/.bashrc; fi
+
 if [[ ! -z $unsupported_os ]]; then
-    >&2 echo -e "\033[31mYour OS ($unsupported_os) is unsupported. Assumed an Ubuntu 16.04 installation,"
+    >&2 echo -e "\033[31mYour OS ($unsupported_os) is unsupported. Assumed an Ubuntu 16.04 or 18.04 installation,"
     >&2 echo -e "and continued with the installation, but if things are not working as"
     >&2 echo -e "expected you have been warned."
 fi