Innovative space missions and services based on smaller platforms like cubesats depend on equally innovative payloads. Space-based services in the New Space arena such as in-orbit servicing – the refuelling or reparing of satellites – or collision avoidance services – increasingly necessary due to the growing number of satellites in orbit – depend on knowing the satellite’s position in detail. Real-time, highly-accurate and reliable positioning measures as provided by GALILEO, the European Global Navigation Satellite System, are simultaneously raison-d’être and requirement for many of these missions.
To address this challenge DEIMOS Engenharia in Portugal is developing G3PSTAR, a space GNSS receiver for Cubesats supported by ESA’s NAVISP programme . The receiver will provide Precise On-board Orbit determination measures processing GPS and Galileo signals and it will be validated on-board the GOMX-5 mission, a cubesat scheduled for launch by the end of 2022.
The G3PSTAR receiver is based on the G3STAR developed by DEIMOS, a FPGA-based receiver integrated in a Software Developed Radio (SDR) platform, highly flexible because it can be reprogrammable and adapted to other GNSS constellations besides GPS and GALILEO. The software used in the G3PStar receiver is developed by the University of Padua and it is expected to provide state-of-the-art positioning with outstanding performance levels.
Check the info below for technical details.
