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Giove-B Going Good!

10 июля 2008

During approximately two months of in-space testing, known as the In-Orbit Test (IOT) phase, the Giove-B navigation satellite has performed excellently.

Engineers from Astrium, the prime contractor for Giove-B, presented the results of the tests at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, Holland. The key components of the Galileo system, particularly the new signal generator and the extremely accurate Passive Hydrogen Maser atomic clock, proved to be perfectly fit for purpose, even when tested under real-time conditions. The European Space Agency (ESA), on whose behalf the mission is being conducted, confirmed the successful conclusion of the test phase during the In-Orbit Test Review (ITR) which took place on July 3rd, 2008. The Giove-B satellite meets all requirements for stable operation over a lifetime of 24 months, thus fulfilling its mission as a Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element.


Giove-B is the first satellite to carry Galileo technology on board. The next step is the In-Orbit Validation (IOV) phase of the European satellite navigation system. One of the two key components is the signal generator, which is already transmitting standard signals defined for Galileo. The tests involved running through a variety of scenarios such as switching from the first payload chain to the second, and employing different combinations of frequencies. Ground-based receiver antennas are used to record the signal quality, accuracy and modulation. The other key component of the satellite, the Space Passive Hydrogen Maser (S-PHM) atomic clock, which keeps time ten times more accurately than the rubidium atomic clocks, functioned perfectly. The instrumentation on Giove-B is configured in such a way that the output of the atomic clock is handed down the entire transmission chain, producing highly accurate navigation signals, which are the hallmark of the Galileo system. The Giove-B mission is continuing according to plan. Between now and 2010 four more navigation satellites, currently being built by prime contractor Astrium, will go into operation in space as part of the system’s In-Orbit Validation (IOV) phase.

Источник: http://www.satnews.com

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