Paris Altimetry Precision Prediction with Galileo Signals-in-Space

This paper presents a complete analysis of the height precision of a GNSS-R space-based altimeter exploiting the forthcoming signals of the European Galileo satellite navigation system. The major differences between Galileo and GPS transmitted signals are shown and their impact on altimetric performance is carefully pinpointed, analysed and justified. Simulated cross-correlation altimetric waveforms are evaluated and the performance analysed by means of an analytical model for the evaluation of height measurement precision. The analysis shows that, thanks to the unique features in terms of bandwidth, TX power and modulation schemes, a GNSS-R altimeter based on Galileo signals-in-space could easily meet the requirements on precision for mesoscale ocean altimetry.