GPS Navigation of Geostationary Satellites Using GPS Block IIF Space Pointing Antennas

Oliver Balbach, Bernd Eissfeller and Günter W. Hein

Abstract:	The use of GPS in Geostationary Orbits is still under re-search. Until now all GPS signals received above GPS altitude are emitted by satellites on the other side of the earth because the GEO altitude is higher than the GPS-MEO and the GPS satellites radiate the civil signals only towards the earth. As part of the GPS modernisation pro-gramme, the Block IIF satellites are likely to have an an-tenna "facing backwards" on the spacecraft pointing into space. This would improve the availability of GPS for GEO satellites significantly. The question remains whether the availability is sufficient or not and whether the geometry is good enough. Furthermore, some aspects of the requirements for the re-ceiver regarding e.g. the occurring dynamics, acquisition algorithms, antenna pointing and gain, etc. are discussed. These points will be discussed in this paper based on the experiences of the Equator-S experiment which is up to now the only successful GPS mission near and in altitudes far above the Geostationary Orbit.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 12th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1999) September 14 - 17, 1999 Nashville, TN
Pages:	2335 - 2339
Cite this article:	Balbach, Oliver, Eissfeller, Bernd, Hein, Günter W., "GPS Navigation of Geostationary Satellites Using GPS Block IIF Space Pointing Antennas," Proceedings of the 12th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1999), Nashville, TN, September 1999, pp. 2335-2339.
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