ESPERIMENTO DI NAVIGAZIONE PER EVENTO ITALIANO DIMOSTRATIVO DI EGNOS (ENEIDE)
Research Area: Communications and Navigation
Expedition(s): 10 and 11
Principal Investigator(s): ● Giovanni Fuggetta, Thales Alenia Space, Milan, Italy
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Esperimento di Navigazione per Evento Italiano Dimostrativo di EGNOS (ENEIDE) is an
experiment, which will apply advanced navigation techniques based on the European
Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS). The objective is to measure and verify in
low-Earth orbit, the GPS and EGNOS signals, which will be used in the combined GPS/EGNOS
navigation system for spacecraft control and guidance.
RESULTS
The experiment exploited the EGNOS signals
with the use of a space-borne Global
Navigation Satellite System receiver
developed by Thales Alenia Space in 1999.
This verified the performance of the
GPS/EGNOS receiver aboard the Soyuz
spacecraft and compared results from the
combined receiver during different phases of
the mission with equivalent data received
from the spacecraft and the International
Space Station (ISS).All the analyses conducted up to now make it
possible to confirm that the ENEIDE
experiment was carried out successfully. Being based on a new instrument concept of
integrated GPS/EGNOS-WAAS tracking, the possibilities of real-time use of this instrument for
critical space operations in which safety is a critical component have been addressed. ENEIDE
provided a benchmark for the validation of the TAS-I receivers of LAGRANGE class. The different
environmental conditions in which the receiver operated (sun-pointing attitude, orbital
attitude, peculiar antenna pointing constraints, etc) make the experiment an important
laboratory for different applications like attitude analyses, atmospheric sounding, space
weather, real-time navigation and control. In detail, the set-up (receiver + laptop) worked
properly and tracking of the WAAS-EGNOS satellites allowed the download of the full GEO
navigation message. The tracking of L1 and L2 frequencies proved to be efficient according to
the expectation of the predicted link-budget.
PUBLICATION(S)
Pugliese M, Bengin V, Casolino M, Roca V, Zanini A, Durante M. Tests of shielding effectiveness
of Kevlar and Nextel onboard the International Space Station and the Foton-M3 capsule.
Radiation and Environmental Biophysics. April 3, 2010;49(3):359-363. doi: 10.1007/s00411-010-
0283 -3.
Esperimento di Navigazione per Evento Italiano
Dimostrativo di EGNOS receiver. ESA image.