Spaceborne GPS current status and future visions

The Global Positioning System (GPS), developed by the Department of Defense, is quickly revolutionizing the architecture of future spacecraft and spacecraft systems. Significant savings in spacecraft life cycle cost, in power, and in mass can be realized by exploiting Global Positioning System (GPS) technology in spaceborne vehicles. These savings are realized because GPS is a systems sensor-it combines the ability to sense space vehicle trajectory, attitude, time, and relative ranging between vehicles into one package. As a result, a reduced spacecraft sensor complement can be employed on spacecraft and significant reductions in space vehicle operations cost can be realized through enhanced onboard autonomy. This paper provides an overview of the current status of spaceborne GPS, a description of spaceborne GPS receivers available now and in the near future, a description of the 1997-1999 GPS flight experiments and the spaceborne GPS team's vision for the future.

[1]  Ivan I. Mueller,et al.  The International GPS Service for Geodynamics (IGS): The Story , 1996 .

[2]  Stephen M. Lichten,et al.  MicroGPS for Low-Cost Orbit Determination , 1997 .

[3]  Thomas Clark,et al.  A Low Cost Spacecraft Receiver For Orbit and Attitude Determination , 1994 .

[4]  Penina Axelrad,et al.  A Low Cost, High Accuracy Automated GPS-Based Orbit Determination System for Low Earth Satellites , 1997 .

[5]  Roger R. Kirpes,et al.  Ballistic Propagation of the MAGR-Shuttle Navigation Solution , 1996 .

[6]  Yves Theroux.  Open-Architecture Design for GPS Applications , 1995 .

[7]  Eleanor Ketchum,et al.  Flight results of GPS based attitude control on the REX II spacecraft , 1996 .

[8]  Bradford W. Parkinson,et al.  Application of GPS Attitude Determination to Gravity Gradient Stabilized Spacecraft , 1993 .

[9]  E. Glenn Lightsey,et al.  Testing of GPS-based attitude control systems , 1996 .

[10]  Andrea Sacchetti,et al.  GPS for Orbit and Attitude Determination: Hardware Design and Qualification Plan for a Spaceborne Receiver , 1994 .

[11]  E. Glenn Lightsey,et al.  The GPS Attitude Determination Flyer (GADFLY): A Space-Qualified GPS Attltude Receiver on the SSTI-Lewis Spacecraft , 1995 .

[12]  Anne C. Long,et al.  Global Positioning System (GPS) Enhanced Orbit Determination Experiment (GEODE) on the Small Satellite Technology Initiative (SSTI)Lewis Spacecraft , 1996 .

[13]  Frank H. Bauer,et al.  SATELLITE FORMATION FLYING USING AN INNOVATIVE AUTONOMOUS CONTROL SYSTEM (AUTOCON) ENVIRONMENT , 1997 .

[14]  D. J. Spitzmesser,et al.  microGPS: On‐Orbit Demonstration of a New Approach to GPS for Space Applications , 1998 .