Publication Date:
2020-02-12
Description:
As of the time of this abstract submission, the GRACE Follow-On satellites have been constructed and transferredto Ottobrunn near Munich for several months of operational testing in the IABG test centre. The Russian/UkraineDnepr launcher had to be exchanged and a corresponding new contract has been signed by GFZ and IridiumSatellite LLC. This includes a "Rideshare" between GRACE-FO and 5 Iridium-Next satellites on a Space-XFalcon-9 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California within the launch period December 2017 till February2018.The project team is conducting tests of satellite and instrument operation and performance and evaluatingupdated simulations of expected performance on-orbit, including the assessment of inter-satellite ranging (forboth microwave and laser instruments), accelerometer, thermal variability and deformation, and other instrumentand measurement errors. In addition, all required ground analysis software of the Science Data System is in devel-opment and being tested at JPL, UTCSR, and GFZ, in preparation for fully integrated end-to-end (international)testing from Level-1 through Level-3 data within 2017. In this presentation, we will provide the detailed status ofproject integration and test, the latest simulations of science performance, and a revised schedule for remainingproject milestones.
Language:
English
Type:
info:eu-repo/semantics/conferenceObject
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