• Current Industrial and Technological Trends in Aerospace
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.119-127
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• 2009

There have been about 450 atomic frequency standards (or atomic clocks) launched into orbit for the use on communications and scientific payloads since 1970's. GPS satellites carry on-board Rubidium and Cesium atomic frequency standards which are utilized for the precise positioning and timing. The evolving technologies of space qualified atomic frequency standards have enhanced in the performance, reliability, and lifetime of satellites. In this paper we describe the fundamentals and performance of the atomic frequency standards, and introduce the atomic frequency standards which are presently on-board various satellites systems. We also present the GPS time scale and its applications.