RAEGE Project: Status, Analysis Endeavours, and Future Prospects

RAEGE (Atlantic Network of Geodynamic and Space Stations) is a project resulting from the cooperation between the National Geographic Institute of Spain (IGN) and the Government of Azores. It is a unique project at a geodetic and geodynamic level, in which it is committed to the combination of geodetic techniques in four stations - two in Spain (Yebes and Gran Canaria) and two in Azores (Flores and Santa Maria). Santa Maria and Yebes stations are already fully implemented. The instrumentation foreseen for all four stations and that are currently implemented are radiotelescopes that use the VLBI technique, GNSS receivers, superconductive gravimetries, seismographs, and maser clocks. Furthermore, an SLR system will be shortly installed at Yebes station.

These stations are integrated into the VGOS network and in the Global Geodetic Reference System (GGOS), as multi-technique observatories. These multi-technical observatories are key in the definition of reference systems, as they allow the integration of the individual networks of each technique into a single system. Additionally, they provide an idea of the quality and precision of the systems themselves, thanks to the validation of the results between techniques. Apart from the multi-technique, the uniqueness of the RAEGE project resides in the fact that the four stations will be located on three different tectonic plates, hence their data will be of great importance to understand this triple tectonic junction.

RAEGE not only focuses on providing the necessary infrastructure for observations but also, among its objectives, to promote multi-technical geodetic analysis and obtain studies and results supported by the data collected. The purpose of this contribution is, therefore, to present the current state of the RAEGE project, including the sites and instrumentation, as well as the current analysis activities and prospects, particularly concerning the combination of the techniques present at the stations.