3333 An Open Source GPS Receiver for Small Satellite Applications

An increasing number of small satellites are proposed for miscellaneous applications, many of which assume the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) for positioning, timing, and orbit determination. Some of these satellites are only a few kilograms in mass, which is the same mass as a typical space GPS receiver. Equally demanding are the requirements for power consumption, where 1 watt is considered excessive, and also low cost. This paper describes the adaptation of small commercial GPS receivers and open source receiver firmware for space use, including navigation performance validation using a GPS signal simulator.