Analysis of GNSS-R Coverage by a Regional Aircraft Fleet

Airborne GNSS-R instrument systems are typically only utilized for a limited number of aircraft flights to perform experiments, to test new instruments, and to collect data over specific targets (e.g. hurricanes). A new system is currently under development entailing the permanent installation of GNSS-R instruments on a commercial fleet of Air New Zealand Q300 regional aircraft. This novel and ambitious concept offers a fascinating and powerful system for the collection of science information over a large spatial region and short temporal scales. Here we present an exploratory analysis meant to quantify the merit of such a system as applied to these regional aircraft. We use simulations of realistic flight paths combined with GNSS orbit information to simulate GNSS-R measurement coverage. Results in this scenario confirm the exciting potential of a next-generation GNSS-R receiver.