Test environments for the GRACE follow-on laser ranging interferometer

11th Edoardo Amaldi Conference on Gravitational Waves

Görth, A.^1 ; Sanjuan, J.^2 ; Gohlke, M.^2 ; Rasch, S.^2 ; Abich, K.^2 ; Braxmaier, C.^2,3 ; Heinzel, G.^1

Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Callinstr. 38, Hanover

30169, Germany^1

Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft-und Raumfahrt, Robert-Hooke-Str. 7, Bremen

28359, Germany^2

Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM), University of Bremen, Am Fallturm 1, Bremen

28359, Germany^3

关键词: Flight hardware;    Grace satellites;    Gravitational fields;    Gravity recovery and climate experiments;    Inter satellite distances;    Laser ranging;    Satellite-to-Satellite tracking;    Test Environment;   

Others  :  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/716/1/012011/pdf
DOI  :  10.1088/1742-6596/716/1/012011

来源: IOP

【 摘 要 】

In the year 2017 a follow-on mission to the very successful joint German/US mission GRACE (Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment) will be launched. As of this day the two GRACE satellites have successfully been mapping the spatial and temporal varitations of the gravitational field of the Earth by satellite-to-satellite tracking for over a decade. The main science instrument on GRACE and its successor mission GRACE Follow-On which is used to measure the inter-satellite distance changes is a microwave link sensor. However, an additional instrument, the laser ranging interferometer (LRI), will be implemented into the architecture of the GRACE Follow-On satellites as a technology demonstrator. In this paper we will give a brief overview of a fiber-based test environment which is currently used during the assembly, integration and test of the LRI flight hardware.