Status of data processing and analysis preparation for the ACES microwave link

Our team in SYRTE-Observatoire de Paris is currently working on a software prototype for the processing and analysis of the data coming from the microwave link of the ACES (Atomic Clocks Ensemble in Space) mission. The goal of the mission is to realize, in space, a very accurate and highly stable time scale that will be compared to ground clocks. A critical part of this project is the time and frequency transfer between the ground and space stations: this will rely heavily on the microwave link, so it is critical to find a robust and accurate algorithm for this task.