Assessment on the use of C-Band for GNSS within the European GNSS Evolution Programme

A. Schmitz-Peiffer, L. Stopfkuchen, F. Soualle, J-J. Floch, R. King, A. Fernandez, R. Jorgensen, B. Eissfeller, J.A. Avila Rodriguez, S. Wallner, J-H. Won, T. Pany, M. Anghileri, B. Lankl, T. Schuler, E. Colzi

Abstract:	Within the European GNSS Evolution program EADS Astrium and their team are responsible for a system study analyzing the performance of a C-Band navigation system in addition to L-Band on a Second Generation Galileo. The C-band issue is not new and some work on this subject has been performed in the US and in Europe already in the period 1998-2004. One of the decisions not to choose the C-Band for Galileo at that time was that the required C-Band payload power was difficult to provide from spacecraft side. However the C-band is back throughout the land. One main reason which speaks for the C-Band is the fact that its frequency (5010 - 5030 MHz) is rather untouched compared to the L-band, where existing and new navigation satellite systems proliferate. This feature is advantageously for regulated and safety critical services due to the facts that: • Significant smaller ionospheric effects reduce vulnerability, support integrity monitoring and carrier smoothing. They allow single frequency receivers, as ionospheric correction is not required. • Smaller receiver antennas lead to reduced vulnerability and to higher jamming resistance against unintentional interference. • A larger Doppler effect leads to a better speed accuracy at the same C/No. The smaller carrier wave-length leads to better carrier phase accuracy for the same C/No. • The multipath performance compared to L-band is improved. The provision of a C-Band navigation signal on a future GNSS would make sense: • If a set of new services can be offered • If there is a market behind these services • If the C-Band link budget deficiencies can be solved (for example by better high power amplifiers and by improved receivers). presents results of the still ongoing C-band system study, considering: • C-Band service analysis and signal design • Spacecraft constellation analysis • Spacecraft and payload design • Atmospheric propagation issues • User terminal design. Architecture concepts for a Galileo C-band system, which can be used stand-alone or in combination with a Galileo L-band system will be presented.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 21st International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2008) September 16 - 19, 2008 Savannah International Convention Center Savannah, GA
Pages:	2189 - 2198
Cite this article:	Schmitz-Peiffer, A., Stopfkuchen, L., Soualle, F., Floch, J-J., King, R., Fernandez, A., Jorgensen, R., Eissfeller, B., Rodriguez, J.A. Avila, Wallner, S., Won, J-H., Pany, T., Anghileri, M., Lankl, B., Schuler, T., Colzi, E., "Assessment on the use of C-Band for GNSS within the European GNSS Evolution Programme," Proceedings of the 21st International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2008), Savannah, GA, September 2008, pp. 2189-2198.
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