Galileo Receiver Chain - The nonPRS Ground Reference Receiver

Neil Gerein, Allan Manz, Giovanna Pinelli, Gianluca Franzoni, Alberto Zin

Abstract:	The Galileo Mission Segment (GMS) requires high quality pseudorange, carrier phase, signal quality, and status information to perform the various tasks of orbit synchronization, integrity processing and precise time determination for the Galileo GNSS. The task of providing these measurements for all Galileo signals and services, with the exception of the Public Regulated Service (PRS), falls upon the nonPRS Galileo Receiver Chain (GRCN). The GRCN development is currently being undertaken by an industrial consortium consisting of Thales Alenia Space Italia (TAS-I), NovAtel, and Space Engineering. The GRCN is designed to stringent reliability, safety, and performance specifications. Important considerations include high performance in both interference and ionospheric scintillation conditions. This requires state-ofthe– art signal processing and exploitation of the receiver’s fixed position and high performance clock. A unique data interface has been defined given the permanent installation and “always on” nature of the receiver. Considerable attention has also been given to various time transfer modes, including setting time using Galileo measurements, time aiding from GPS during inorbit validation, and time transfer within the Precise Timing Facility (PTF). The GRCN development has progressed through the critical design phase with delivery of initial prototype hardware and software. This paper will provide an update on the GRCN design to date, including the overall architecture and the design features unique to the GRCN.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 20th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2007) September 25 - 28, 2007 Fort Worth Convention Center Fort Worth, TX
Pages:	1054 - 1064
Cite this article:	Gerein, Neil, Manz, Allan, Pinelli, Giovanna, Franzoni, Gianluca, Zin, Alberto, "Galileo Receiver Chain - The nonPRS Ground Reference Receiver," Proceedings of the 20th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2007), Fort Worth, TX, September 2007, pp. 1054-1064.
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