This article discusses the attitude modes employed by present Global (and Regional) Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs) and the models used to describe them along with definitions of the constellation-specific spacecraft body frames. A uniform convention for the labeling of the principal spacecraft axes is proposed by the International GNSS Service (IGS), which results in a common formulation of the nominal attitude of all GNSS satellites in yaw-steering mode irrespective of their specific orbit and constellation. The conventions defined within this document provide the basis for the specification of antenna phase center offsets and variations in a multi-GNSS version of the IGS absolute phase center model in the ANTEX (antenna exchange) format. To facilitate the joint analysis of GNSS observations and satellite laser ranging measurements, laser retroreflector array coordinates consistent with the IGS-specific spacecraft frame conventions are provided in addition to representative antenna offset values for all GNSS constellations.
Satellite‐Based Augmentation Systems (SBASes) are designed to provide additional accuracy and robustness to existing satellite‐based radio navigation systems for all phases of a flight. However, similar to navigation systems such as GPS which has proven its worth for the investigation of the ionosphere, the SBASes do have certain advantages. In the present paper, we propose and demonstrate SBAS applicability to ionospheric and space weather research in a novel and cost‐effective way. The recent commissioning of the Indian SBAS, named GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN), covering the equatorial and low‐latitude regions centered around the Indian longitudes provides the motivation for this approach. Two case studies involving different ionospheric behavior over low‐latitude regions vindicate the potential of SBAS over extended areas.
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