GPS Orbit Determination for the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer

Abstract

A single-frequency GPS receiver was launched with the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) mission in the summer of 1992. The low altitude of the EUVE and the placement of dual antennas directly on the spacecraft body provide an opportunity to investigate error sources and the level of accuracy obtainable for future satellite missions. GPS data from several periods have been processed with GIPSY-OASIS II software. Data from EUVE and from a global network of GPS receivers were combined to eliminate the effects of selective availability. Methods for removing ionosphere delay error from the single-frequency data and orbit solutions using the reduced dynamic technique were investigated. Solutions were assessed with internal consistency tests and through comparison with the GTDS orbit solutions produced at the Goddard Space Flight Center. Orbit precision and accuracy with GPS are at the 1 m level.