A GPS RECEIVER/TRANSMITTER UNIT FOR TRACKING LAUNCH VEHICLES

Abstract

Launch Vehicle tracking is indispensable due to the fact that wayward vehicles must be destroyed lest they cause loss of life and/or damage to property. Launch Vehicle tracking data is also useful in assessing vehicle performance and mission success. Cincinnati Electronics (CE) has developed a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) Receiver/Transmitter Unit (RTU), specifically for use with launch vehicles. The CE GPS RTU was flown as an experiment on the Missile Technology Demonstration (MTD) flight at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR). This paper provides an overview of CE’s GPS RTU and provides the results of CE’s GPS RTU MTD-3 flight performance.