GATE - The German Galileo Test Environment

R. Wolf, M. Thalhammer, G.W. Hein

Abstract:	Complimentary to the development of the ESA Galileo System Test Bed (GSTB), a German industry consortium is building up in southern Germany a local ground-based, flexible Galileo Test Environment (GATE) using signal generators at dedicated stations. The mission objectives are: (1) Contribution to the design and validation of the Galileo signal structure, (2) Establishment of an early test facility for the development of Galileo receivers and its interoperability with GPS and (3) Built-up of a test site for various Galileo/GPS applications on land, for marine and airborne environment. For the built-up a phased development was chosen: After the definition phase (ending in June 2003) a development and testing phase, in particular for the signal generators and the Galileo/GPS receivers, is taking place. The initial operational capability (IOC) is planned for beginning 2005. GATE is designed in such a way that also observations to the ESA GSTB V2 Galileo test satellite - it is in orbit - can be processed jointly with the observations from the local transmitters as well with GPS observations. The last are also used for the verification of the derived positioning. This means that a careful selection of the test area has to be carried out as well as the so-called near/far effects have to be solved in the terrestrial transmission of the GALILEO signals.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 16th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS/GNSS 2003) September 9 - 12, 2003 Oregon Convention Center Portland, OR
Pages:	1009 - 1015
Cite this article:	Wolf, R., Thalhammer, M., Hein, G.W., "GATE - The German Galileo Test Environment," Proceedings of the 16th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS/GNSS 2003), Portland, OR, September 2003, pp. 1009-1015.
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