Session E3b: Advanced Technologies in High Precision GNSS Positioning

Genesis – An ESA Mission at the Foundation of Navigation
S. Gidlund, G. Fusco, P. Waller, E. Honoré-Livermore, E. Sakalauskaite, European Space Agency (ESA) Directorate of Navigation, ESA/ESTEC; W. Enderle, E. Schoenemann, J.C. Berton, Directorate of Operations, ESA/ESOC
Location: Holiday 1 (Second Floor)
Date/Time: Thursday, Sep. 11, 8:35 a.m.

Genesis is the first European Space Agency (ESA) mission dedicated to Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Science, conducted by the ESA Navigation Directorate within its FutureNAV Programme. Genesis primary objective is to improve the accuracy and stability of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF), the frame used as reference for navigation and positioning in the vicinity of the Earth. The goal is to contribute to the improvement of the ITRF accuracy (down to 1mm) and long-term stability (down to 0.1mm/year). The realisation of ITRF to the highest performance is also deeply linked to a high number of other scientific disciplines (geodesy, geodynamics, earth rotation, geophysics, earth gravity field, atmosphere and ionosphere sciences, metrology, relativity…) to which Genesis will implicitly also bring major contributions [1].
To achieve these objectives, the Genesis mission consists of a spacecraft in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) (~6000km altitude, ~95° inclination) co-locating for the first time in space all the four geodetic instruments used for the realisation of ITRF: a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, a Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) reflector, a Very Large Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) transmitter and a Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) receiver, together with an Ultra Stable Oscillator (USO) for frequency distribution. The ground segment includes a dedicated Ground Control Centre and will also make use of the existing geodetic ground infrastructure: GNSS sensor stations network, SLR stations, VLBI stations and DORIS beacons. The mission data provision to the scientific community will be performed using dedicated ESA infrastructure, the GNSS Science Support Centre (GSSC) [2].
On the industrial side, the company OHB Italia S.p.A. has been contracted by ESA as prime for the development, qualification, launch and 2 years operation of the mission, with a launch date in 2028 [3]. This includes the procurement of the geodetic instruments and Ultra Stable Oscillator (USO), satellite platform, launch services and ground segment and operations services. Industrial activities were kicked-off in April 2024, the System Requirements Review was successfully closed-out in Q4 2024, and work is on-going towards a Preliminary Design Review in Q4 2025.
In parallel, on the scientific side, after a first successful Genesis Workshop held in February 2024 [4], a Genesis Science Exploitation Team was set-up and members appointed. The Genesis Science Exploitation Team is actively supporting the mission development (in particular consolidation of requirements and preparation of the extensive calibration programme) and will play a key role in its future exploitation.
The presentation will provide a high-level description of the mission and provide the programmatic status of Genesis.
[1]: GENESIS: co-location of geodetic techniques in space, Delva et al. Earth, Planets and Space 75, 5 (2023)
[2]: https://gssc.esa.int/
[3]: https://www.esa.int/Applications/Satellite_navigation/ESA_kicks_off_two_new_navigation_missions
[4]: https://www.esa.int/Applications/Satellite_navigation/The_geodetic_community_meets_Genesis