Investigation of GPS Antennas for GOCE Satellites

As part of the European GOCE mission (Gravity field and Steady state Ocean Circulation Explorer), a highly accurate satellite-to-satellite tracking instrument is used for real-time satellite navigation and precise orbit determination. It consists of two GPS antennas mounted directly on the metallic solar cell wing of the GOCE satellite. In order to characterize the GPS antennas with respect to their phase centre and their sensitivity, various tests were carried out at IfE.

As part of the European GOCE mission (Gravity field and Steady state Ocean Circulation Explorer), a highly accurate satellite-to-satellite tracking instrument is used for real-time satellite navigation and precise orbit determination. It consists of two GPS antennas mounted directly on the metallic solar cell wing of the GOCE satellite. In order to characterize the GPS antennas with respect to their phase centre and their sensitivity, various tests were carried out at IfE.

Acknowledgements

This project was financed by ESA (ESTEC Contract No. 19069/05/NL/FF) and carried out in cooperation with Geo++, Alenia SPAZIO and ESA/ESTEC.