Results of a Study of GPS-Based Tracking Systems for Spacelift Vehicles

Burt Colt, Sultan Mahmood, Mohammed Miran

Abstract:	The use of a Global Positioning System (GPS) based tracking system offers numerous advantages to the Range Safety (RS) and Space Launch Vehicle SLV) organizations. The RAJPO and Sverdrup Tech. have conducted a detailed study of a number of GPS-based tracking configurations with respect to unique RS and SLV requirements. Comparative study of P-Code vs. C/A Code, Aided vs. Unaided, and Direct vs. Translated-GPS was conducted. Critical requirements such as acquisition/r-e-acquisition times, TIFF, dynamics, TSPI accuracy and dropout times were parametrically analyzed. The specifications of dynamics, TSPI dropout duration and accuracy were subject to multiple interpretations. A different tracking configuration, in terms of performance and cost effectiveness, is recommended for each interpretation.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 1997 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 14 - 16, 1997 Loews Santa Monica Hotel Santa Monica, CA
Pages:	441 - 450
Cite this article:	Colt, Burt, Mahmood, Sultan, Miran, Mohammed, "Results of a Study of GPS-Based Tracking Systems for Spacelift Vehicles," Proceedings of the 1997 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, Santa Monica, CA, January 1997, pp. 441-450.
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