CHARACTERIZING CSAC PERFORMANCE IN A SIMULATEDMISSION ENVIRONMENT

Chip-scale atomic clocks (CSACs) are a relatively new, low size, weight, and power technology which has the potential to improve position, navigation, and timing capabilities on small satellites. A chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC) will fly onboard MAXWELL, a 6U CubeSat, to characterize the clock’s performance in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The experiment will measure the CSAC’s bias and drift through use as an unsteered external oscillator to a GPS receiver. This paper describes the data analysis methods to characterize the performance of the CSAC. Additionally, this paper discusses the ground testing in simulated mission environments performed on the CSAC to understand how the clock will behave on-orbit. The ground testing includes live-sky testing, thermal testing, and magnetic field testing.