Application in Space
Publish Date:: 2011-6-14 Author/From:: GPS/wtd
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is revolutionizing and revitalizing the way nations operate in space, from guidance systems for crewed vehicles to the management, tracking, and control of communication satellite constellations, to monitoring the Earth from space. Benefits of using GPS include:
Navigation solutions -- providing high precision orbit determination, and minimum ground control crews, with existing space-qualified GPS units.
Attitude solutions -- replacing high cost on-board attitude sensors with low-cost multiple GPS antennae and specialized algorithms.
Timing solutions -- replacing expensive spacecraft atomic clocks with low-cost, precise time GPS receivers.
Constellation control -- providing single point-of-contact to control for the orbit maintenance of large numbers of space vehicles such as telecommunication satellites.
Formation flying -- allowing precision satellite formations with minimal intervention from ground crews.
Virtual platforms -- providing automatic "station-keeping" and relative position services for advanced science tracking maneuvers such as interferometry.
Launch vehicle tracking -- replacing or augmenting tracking radars with higher precision, lower-cost GPS units for range safety and autonomous flight termination.
