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arXiv · 1907.00104

On orbit performance of the GRACE Follow-On Laser Ranging Interferometer

Klaus Abich·Claus Braxmaier·Martin Gohlke·Josep Sanjuan·Alexander Abramovici·Brian Bachman Okihiro·David C. Barr·Maxime P. Bize·Michael J. Burke·Ken C. Clark·Glenn de Vine·Jeffrey A. Dickson·Serge Dubovitsky·William M. Folkner·Samuel Francis·Martin S. Gilbert·Mark Katsumura·William Klipstein·Kameron Larsen·Carl Christian Liebe·Jehhal Liu·Kirk McKenzie·Phillip R. Morton·Alexander T. Murray·Don J. Nguyen·Joshua A. Ravich·Daniel Shaddock·Robert Spero·Gary Spiers·Andrew Sutton·Joseph Trinh·Duo Wang·Rabi T. Wang·Brent Ware·Christopher Woodruff·Bengie Amparan·Mike A. Davis·James Howell·Micah Kruger·Lynette Lobmeyer·Robert Pierce·Gretchen Reavis·Michael Sileo·Michelle Stephens·Andreas Baatzsch·Christian Dahl·Katrin Dahl·Frank Gilles·Philipp Hager·Mark Herding·Marina Kaufer·Kolja Nicklaus·Kai Voss·Christina Bogan·Karsten Danzmann·Germán Fernández Barranco·Gerhard Heinzel·Alexander Koch·Christoph Mahrdt·Malte Misfeldt·Vitali Müller·Jens Reiche·Daniel Schütze·Benjamin Sheard·Gunnar Stede·Henry Wegener·Andreas Eckardt·Burghardt Guenther·Thomas Mangoldt·Bernd Zender·Thomas Ester·Frank Heine·Christoph Seiter·Steve Windisch·Reinhold Flatscher·Frank Flechtner·Nicolas Grossard·Jerome Hauden·Martin Hinz·Thomas Leikert·Marcus Zimmermann·Anton Lebeda·Arnold Lebeda
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Abstract

The Laser Ranging Interferometer (LRI) instrument on the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Follow-On mission has provided the first laser interferometric range measurements between remote spacecraft, separated by approximately 220 km. Autonomous controls that lock the laser frequency to a cavity reference and establish the 5 degree of freedom two-way laser link between remote spacecraft succeeded on the first attempt. Active beam pointing based on differential wavefront sensing compensates spacecraft attitude fluctuations. The LRI has operated continuously without breaks in phase tracking for more than 50 days, and has shown biased range measurements similar to the primary ranging instrument based on microwaves, but with much less noise at a level of $1\,{\rm nm}/\sqrt{\rm Hz}$ at Fourier frequencies above 100 mHz.

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Klaus Abich, Claus Braxmaier, Martin Gohlke, Josep Sanjuan, Alexander Abramovici, Brian Bachman Okihiro, David C. Barr, Maxime P. Bize, Michael J. Burke, Ken C. Clark, Glenn de Vine, Jeffrey A. Dickson, Serge Dubovitsky, William M. Folkner, Samuel Francis, Martin S. Gilbert, Mark Katsumura, William Klipstein, Kameron Larsen, Carl Christian Liebe, Jehhal Liu, Kirk McKenzie, Phillip R. Morton, Alexander T. Murray, Don J. Nguyen, Joshua A. Ravich, Daniel Shaddock, Robert Spero, Gary Spiers, Andrew Sutton, Joseph Trinh, Duo Wang, Rabi T. Wang, Brent Ware, Christopher Woodruff, Bengie Amparan, Mike A. Davis, James Howell, Micah Kruger, Lynette Lobmeyer, Robert Pierce, Gretchen Reavis, Michael Sileo, Michelle Stephens, Andreas Baatzsch, Christian Dahl, Katrin Dahl, Frank Gilles, Philipp Hager, Mark Herding, Marina Kaufer, Kolja Nicklaus, Kai Voss, Christina Bogan, Karsten Danzmann, Germán Fernández Barranco, Gerhard Heinzel, Alexander Koch, Christoph Mahrdt, Malte Misfeldt, Vitali Müller, Jens Reiche, Daniel Schütze, Benjamin Sheard, Gunnar Stede, Henry Wegener, Andreas Eckardt, Burghardt Guenther, Thomas Mangoldt, Bernd Zender, Thomas Ester, Frank Heine, Christoph Seiter, Steve Windisch, Reinhold Flatscher, Frank Flechtner, Nicolas Grossard, Jerome Hauden, Martin Hinz, Thomas Leikert, Marcus Zimmermann, Anton Lebeda, Arnold Lebeda. 2019-06-28. On orbit performance of the GRACE Follow-On Laser Ranging Interferometer. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.123.031101

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