First In-Orbit Results of the GPS HETE-2 Experiment

L. Lestarquit, D. Laurichesse, J. Dantepal, A. Comps, F. Mercier, F. Laporte, D. Couture, C. Melezan, J-P. Berthias, J-L. Issler, D. Lahouze, F. Martel, G. Crew, G. Ricker, Christian Mehlen, and Christian Valpard

Abstract:	HETE2 ( High Energy Transcient Experiment ) is a NASA program dedicated to the observation of Gamma and X-ray bursts, and related correlations between these events. The bursts are dated by GPS. The HETE2 microsatellite ( 110 kg ) and ground stations are delivered to NASA by MIT/CSR, which led an international partnership including CNES, in charge of the GPS receiver supply. HETE2 replaces the HETE1 program, whose launch failed in 1996. CNES procured 2 TOPSTAR 300 GPS receivers for the HETE program. The first GPS equipment was on board HETE1, and the second (initialy a spare) is on board HETE2. This T300 is equiped with the DIOGENE real time orbital navigation software developed at CNES ( Determination Immediate d'Orbite par GPS Et Navigateur Embarqué : immediate orbit determination with GPS and on-board navigator ) HETE2 was launched by a Pegasus Rocket in early october 2000, and the GPS was powered ON mid october. At that time, downloads of only short measurements periods were initialy allowed by the HETE2 operation center at MIT, due to more priority was given to satellite health telemetry. Longer downloaded measurement periods are now provided, since the results presented in the paper have been produced. This paper presents the first results obtained in orbit in these conditions, having already allowed to verify the compliance of the TOPSTAR 300 with its specified performances. With the TOPSTAR 100 receiver successfully operated on board the ARD capsule launched in 1998 by ARIANE V [1], the TOPSTAR 300 of HETE2 has been the second opportunity to qualify in space the TOPSTAR GPS techniques.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 2001 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 22 - 24, 2001 Westin Long Beach Hotel Long Beach, CA
Pages:	327 - 334
Cite this article:	Lestarquit, L., Laurichesse, D., Dantepal, J., Comps, A., Mercier, F., Laporte, F., Couture, D., Melezan, C., Berthias, J-P., Issler, J-L., Lahouze, D., Martel, F., Crew, G., Ricker, G., Mehlen, Christian, Valpard, Christian, "First In-Orbit Results of the GPS HETE-2 Experiment," Proceedings of the 2001 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, Long Beach, CA, January 2001, pp. 327-334.
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