Giove-A Navigation and Experimental Payload Design and Operation in Orbit

E. Rooney, M. Unwin, B. Taylor, and G. Gatti

Abstract:	As a key demonstrator for the new European Galileo satellite positioning system, the Giove-A satellite was successfully launched into Medium Earth Orbit in December 2005. Giove-A was built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd for the European Space Agency (ESA) under a rapid 2.5 year schedule to permit the filing of the Galileo frequencies from the International Telecoms Union before June 2006. Secondary objectives included the demonstration of core Galileo payload technologies, the assessment of orbital environment, and the provision of representative signals for the user segment. In addition to the primary signal generator payload, Giove-A carried a number of secondary payloads and experiments: a signal generator designed by SSTL was carried as a back up to the primary signal generator for frequency filing purposes; radiation monitoring units, laser retroreflectors and an experimental GPS receiver were all on the satellite. This paper highlights the achievements and status of the Giove-A mission after one year in orbit, and in particular summarises the results from the secondary payloads and experiments to date.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 2007 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 22 - 24, 2007 The Catamaran Resort Hotel San Diego, CA
Pages:	929 - 935
Cite this article:	Rooney, E., Unwin, M., Taylor, B., Gatti, G., "Giove-A Navigation and Experimental Payload Design and Operation in Orbit," Proceedings of the 2007 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, San Diego, CA, January 2007, pp. 929-935.
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