POP clock

Reliable, high frequency stability, space-qualified clocks with reduced size, mass and power consumption, will play a key role in future Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) deployments, as well as in other applications including satellite communications and deep space navigation. A GSTP Element 2 activity with Italy, which closed in October 2020, has further developed a Rubidium Pulsed Optically Pumped (Rb-POP) clock for this purpose. The activity produced two engineering models that will now undergo an extensive test campaign. The activity intends to achieve a space qualification of the full clock by 2021 and readiness for an experimental flight opportunity by 2023.