RAEGE: the Spanish-Portuguese Infrastructure of Geodetic Stations

This contribution will show the current status of the joint Spanish-Portuguese infrastructure for Space Geodesy called RAEGE, which stands for Red Atlántica de Estaciones Geodinámicas y Espaciales. This infrastructure will consist of four space geodesy stations, two in Spain (Yebes and Gran Canaria) and two in Portugal (Santa Maria and Flores islands, Açores archipelago). Each station will be equipped with a VGOS radio telescope and its associated broad-band receiver (2-14 GHz), developed in Yebes Observatory laboratories, together with GNSS receivers, gravimeters, and a local-tie network. Geophysical instrumentation like seismographs and accelerographs will be installed too. In particular, RAEGE-Yebes will also have a Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) station, which is currently under construction (YLARA project). The RAEGE Yebes VGOS radiotelescope is operational and is participating in the VGOS core network since 2016. Concerning the RAEGE Santa Maria VGOS radiotelescope, it resumed regular IVS observations in May 2021 with its tri-band receiver (S/X/Ka), and it will be upgraded to a VGOS station by the end of 2022. In relation to the RAEGE Gran Canaria station, the location has been identified and the station design project is in progress. Finally, with regard to the RAEGE Flores station, the land has been purchased and a GNSS receiver and a weather station have been installed while the station design project is prepared. RAEGE Yebes is planning the construction and operation of a VLBI correlator to process the data collected from RAEGE and other VLBI networks. RAEGE established also the RAEGE GGOS Analysis Group with researchers from the IGN and Santa Maria to post-process the geodetic data gathered from all the available space geodesy techniques. As a result, it can be said that RAEGE is the joint Spanish-Portuguese response to GGOS (Global Geodetic Observing System) and to UN resolution 69/266 “A global geodetic reference frame for sustainable development”.