Verification of the timing system for the X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission in the GPS unsynchronized mode

Abstract

We report the results from the ground and on-orbit verifications of the X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission timing system when the satellite clock is not synchronized to the Ground Positioning System (GPS) time. In this case, the time is determined by a free-run quartz oscillator of the clock, whose frequency changes depending on its temperature. In the thermal vacuum test performed in 2022, we obtained the GPS unsynchronized mode data and the temperature-versus-clock frequency trend. Comparing the time values calculated from the data and the true GPS times when the data were obtained, we confirmed that the requirement (within a 350-μs error in the absolute time, accounting for both the spacecraft bus and ground systems) was satisfied in the temperature conditions of the thermal vacuum test. We also simulated the variation of the timing accuracy in the on-orbit temperature conditions using the Hitomi on-orbit temperature data and found that the error remained within the requirement over∼3×10⁵s. The on-orbit tests were conducted in 2023 September and October as part of the bus system checkout. The temperature-versus-clock frequency trend remained unchanged from that obtained in the thermal vacuum test, and the observed time drift was consistent with that expected from the trend.