In response to the earth science decadel survey and recognition by the national research council for a precision geodetic infrastructure, the NASA SGP is currently in the process of engineering the…

This federal contract award, identified as NNX16AF99G, was granted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell) to provide engineering support for the NASA Space Geodesy Project (SGP). The goal of this effort is to develop the next generation of integrated space geodetic technique stations that will combine very long baseline interferometry (VLBI), satellite laser ranging (SLR), global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), and DORIS sensors to achieve unprecedented precision in determining the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF).

As part of the overall SGP engineering team, UMass Lowell's Space Technology Laboratory (STL) will contribute to various aspects of this project, including the integration of the SGP techniques and the VLBI Global Observing System (VGOS) component, as well as providing on-site technical consulting for station installation and commissioning activities. The contract has a ceiling value of $148,373.00 and does not have a set-aside designation. The award date was April 1, 2016, with a planned ultimate completion date of June 1, 2018.

In response to the earth science decadel survey and recognition by the national research council for a precision geodetic infrastructure, the NASA SGP is currently in the process of engineering the next-generation of integrated space geodetic technique stations. These stations will fuse vlbi, SLR, gnss, and doris sensors to provide an unprecedented level of precision in determination of the itrf. Each of these techniques are quite mature in their own right but their integration and fusion at the station level represents a novel problem to be addressed in order to assert the requisite precision of the itrf. A carefully developed and executed engineering plan is crucial to achieve such a goal for the ggos and STL is in a unique position to provide support to this effort. The STL staff proposed herein possesses the detailed knowledge of the radio-based sensing techniques upon which the SGP integrated stations are based and is therefore in a position to be a strong contributor to this engineering effort. As part of the overall SGP engineering team, the staff at STL will contribute to a variety of facets pertaining to this effort spanning both high and low level aspects of the SGP integrated station. At a high level are the integration of the SGP techniques and the vlbi global observing system (vgos) component of the ggos. STL will assist in developing a standard and sustainable vgos station model that shall meet the requisite performance, functionality, and interfaces with the other SGP techniques. This effort is expected to entail the review of system engineering documentation, as well as participation in sub-system reviews to ensure compliance with the set forth requirements. With expertise in the design, implementation and operation of vlbi systems, the STL also proposes to provide on-site technical consulting to the SGP for its kpgo and MDO station installation and commissioning activities. At a lower level, the STL proposes to participate in station qualification analysis (e.g. RFI surveys) and evaluate software models that provide well-defined interfaces into the vgos sub-systems and hierarchically into the larger SGP integrated station.