Cesium and Rubidium Frequency Standards Status and Performance on the GPS Program

M. J. Van Melle

Abstract:	This paper is an update of the on-orbit operational performance of the frequency standards on the last Block I NAVSTAR satellite (GPS-10), the complete Bloc II NAVSTAR satellites (GPS-13 to 21) and the Block IIA NAVSTAR (GPS-22 to 40) satellites. Since the status of the GPS constellation is now at Full Operational Capability (FOC), a minimum of twenty-four satellites are in position with all the necessary tests successfully completed. The evolution of frequency standards on board the GPS vehicles will be presented with corresponding results. Various methods and techniques will be presented to show on-orbit life time, down time, state of health telemetry, on-orbit trending and characterization of all the frequency standards. Other topics such as reliability, stability, clock quirks and idiosyncrasies of each vehicle will be covered.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 27th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting November 29 - 1, 1995 The Doubletree Hotel at Horton Plaza San Diego, California
Pages:	167 - 180
Cite this article:	Van Melle, M. J., "Cesium and Rubidium Frequency Standards Status and Performance on the GPS Program," Proceedings of the 27th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting, San Diego, California, November 1995, pp. 167-180.
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