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Falcon Gold [GDK]
Falcon Gold was an US Air Force Academy experiment to demonstrate use of GPS navigation in orbits above the GPS constellation.
Cadets participated in all phases of the mission including systems design, fabrication, launch vehicle integration, qualification testing, launch site operations, and mission operations.
Falcon Gold carried a GPS sensor to sample and characterize GPS signals.
The instrument package was bolted to the Centaur-2A stage of an Atlas-2A, which launched the DSCS-3 B13 satellite on 25 October 1997. The Centaur was completely inert during Falcon-Gold operations. All systems operated nominally during the successful mission until primary battery power on the spacecraft was depleted. Data was received fom 3 November to 9 November 1997.
| Nation: | USA |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Technology |
| Operator: | US Air Force (USAF) |
| Contractors: | US Air Force Academy (payload) |
| Equipment: | GPS Receiver |
| Configuration: | Centaur-2A stage with instrument box |
| Propulsion: | none (after Centaur burn out) |
| Power: | Batteries |
| Lifetime: | 10-15 days |
| Mass: | |
| Orbit: | 151 km × 34457 km, 26.2 |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcon Gold | 1997-065B | 25.10.1997 | CC LC-36A | Atlas-2A | with DSCS-3 B13 |
Launch Sites:
- CC = Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Eastern Test Range, Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA
References:
- Johnston A. Coil: Falcon Gold - Orbit Determination Above the GPS Constellation, Small Satellite Conference 1997
References:
- Johnston A. Coil, United States Air Force Academy: Falcon Gold - Orbit Determination Above the GPS Constellation (Abstract)
- Thomas D. Powell, Philip D. Martzen, Steven B. Sedlacek, Chia-Chun Chao: Falcon Gold Experiment Data Processing at The Aerospace Corporation, 15 October 1998
