Speaker
Description
The GENESIS mission will integrate four geodetic techniques onboard a dedicated satellite, including a novel Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) transmitter. A key requirement for this payload is that the transmitted power flux density (PFD) remains within the operational range of global VLBI radio telescopes. Unlike traditional VLBI observations of distant quasars, where the received flux is essentially uniform across stations, a satellite-based transmitter yields variable received power at different antennas due to orbital geometry, antenna gains, and station sensitivities.
We simulate the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at VLBI Global Observing System (VGOS) stations over a one-day period. The analysis accounts for antenna gain patterns, station system equivalent flux densities (SEFD) at different bandwidths, and the influence of atmospheric and meteorological conditions. We present link budget estimates that combine transmitter power, antenna characteristics, and ground station parameters, underscoring the critical role of PFD in achieving reliable correlation and delay determination for GENESIS VLBI observations.
