Global Gravity Field Recovery Using Solely GPS Tracking and Accelerometer Data from Champ

A new long-wavelength global gravity field model, called EIGEN-1, has been derived in a joint German-French effort from orbit perturbations of the CHAMP satellite, exploiting CHAMP-GPS satellite-to-satellite tracking and on-board accelerometer data over a three months time span. For the first time it becomes possible to recover the gravity field from one satellite only. Thanks to CHAMP'S tailored orbit characteristics and dedicated instrumentation, providing continuous tracking and on-orbit measurements of non-gravitational satellite accelerations, the three months CHAMP-only solution provides the geoid and gravity with an accuracy of 20 cm and 1 mgal, respectively, at a half wavelength resolution of 550 km, which is already an improvement by a factor of two compared to any pre-CHAMP satellite-only gravity field model. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Improvement of Satellite Tracking Accuracy Using Optical Observations

A method to improve satellite tracking accuracy is presented and discussed theoretically and experimentally in terms of two parts: correction for errors of the tracking system and correction of satellite orbit predictions. In the first part, it is concluded that the pointing error of the tracking system can be determined accurately using data from stellar observations, so that correction is possible with an accuracy of about 0.001°. In the second part, it is shown that apparent errors of satellite orbital elements can be deduced from the optical observation of one orbit, and one can track the satellite after the correction with high accuracy for several subsequent orbits. The accuracy is 0.1-0.2 mrad or better for satellites at 1000 km altitude when given orbit prediction accuracy is approximately 1°.     

Spacecraft orbit determination using GPS navigation solutions

The orbit determination using the GPS navigation solutions for the KOMPSAT-1 spacecraft has been studied. The Cowell method of special perturbation theories was employed to develop a precision orbit propagation, and the perturbations due to geopotential, the gravity of the Sun and the Moon, solid Earth tides, ocean tides, the Earth's dynamic polar motion, solar radiation pressure, and atmospheric drag were modeled. Specifically, the satellite box-wing macro model was applied to minimize the drag errors at low altitude. The estimation scheme consisted of an extended Kalman filter and Bayesian least square method. To investigate the applicability of the method to the KOMPSAT-1 spacecraft, the orbit determination was accomplished using the GPS navigation solutions for the TOPEX/POSEIDON and TAOS satellites. The orbit determination results were compared with NASA POE generated by global laser tracking. The position and velocity accuracy was estimated about 16∼7 m and 0.0157∼0.0074 m·s⁻¹ RMS, respectively, for the two satellites in the presence of SA. These results verify that an orbit determination scheme using GPS navigation solutions can provide the static orbit information and reduce conspicuously the position and velocity errors of navigation solutions. It can be suggested that the sequential and batch orbit determination using the GPS navigation solutions be the most appropriate method in the KOMPSAT-1 type mission.     

基于中继测量的环月探测器定轨能力分析

嫦娥四号月球探测拟首次实现月球背面的软着陆,测控与数传依赖地月L2平动点的中继卫星,并有望获取四程测量与星间测量数据。对基于中继测量的环月探测器测定轨能力进行了仿真分析,结果表明,中继卫星可较好地实现环月探测器连续跟踪;在定轨能力方面,中继卫星自身轨道精度是制约环月探测器定轨精度的重要因素,当跟踪弧段达到5h以上时,定轨精度趋于稳定,但轨道精度较中继卫星的轨道精度相差1个量级;对于星间链路测量,除中继卫星自身的轨道精度外,星钟的稳定性是制约定轨精度的另一个重要因素,如果辅助以每天1h的地基跟踪亦可实现优于百m的定轨精度。     

天/地基多平台空间目标光电观测时效性分析

针对如何部署光学探测设备才能更好实现对空间目标的高精度高频度监视问题,考虑光照条件、相对关系及探测性能,构建了天/地基空间目标探测与成像仿真模型;按照轨道特征选取了94颗LEO（Low Earth Orbit,低地球轨道）卫星、63颗GEO（Geosynchronous Earth Orbit,地球同步轨道）卫星和18颗大椭圆轨道卫星,选用春夏秋冬典型季节的特定时间长度,仿真分析了国内地基、南北极科考站、LEO卫星、准GEO卫星等多平台光电手段的位置探测和成像观测能力;比对分析地基平台纬度和季节、天基平台轨道高度和倾角对探测能力的影响得出：南北极科考站相比于国内站点可提高重点季节的探测时效性,98°倾角LEO平台对低轨目标成像时效性方面更具优势,等.在此基础上,提出了我国空间目标光电观测设备天地一体的布局构想.     

全球精密单点定位性能评估

随着中国北斗三号卫星导航系统（BDS-3）全面建成与开通，北斗卫星导航系统已步入了新发展阶段，基于BDS-3实现全方位、多层次、高精度应用已成为地学研究中一项基本任务。利用全球最新均匀分布的10个MGEX跟踪站，分别从24 h内接收到的卫星数、卫星位置精度因子（PDOP）、卫星数据解算完整率和双频非组合精密单点定位（PPP）静态/动态定位精度等方面系统深入地评估了BDS-3在全球范围内的可用性。结果表明，测站对卫星跟踪能力与配备的接收机类型和区域位置有强相关性，单BDS-3卫星在全球范围内具有较强的连续定位能力，当使用SEPT POLARX5和JAVAD TRE_3接收机的情况下，数据解算完整率可达100%。此外，水平方向和高程方向定位精度分别优于2 cm和3 cm，并且在联合使用BDS-2和BDS-3定位的条件下，可使得静态定位精度在东、北和高程方向进一步提升37.6%,25.3%和38.9%。     

Aiming at a 1-cm Orbit for Low Earth Orbiters: Reduced-Dynamic and Kinematic Precise Orbit Determination

The computation of high-accuracy orbits is a prerequisite for the success of Low Earth Orbiter (LEO) missions such as CHAMP, GRACE and GOCE. The mission objectives of these satellites cannot be reached without computing orbits with an accuracy at the few cm level. Such a level of accuracy might be achieved with the techniques of reduced-dynamic and kinematic precise orbit determination (POD) assuming continuous Satellite-to-Satellite Tracking (SST) by the Global Positioning System (GPS). Both techniques have reached a high level of maturity and have been successfully applied to missions in the past, for example to TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P), leading to (sub-)decimeter orbit accuracy. New LEO gravity missions are (to be) equipped with advanced GPS receivers promising to provide very high quality SST observations thereby opening the possibility for computing cm-level accuracy orbits. The computation of orbits at this accuracy level does not only require high-quality GPS receivers, but also advanced and demanding observation preprocessing and correction algorithms. Moreover, sophisticated parameter estimation schemes need to be adapted and extended to allow the computation of such orbits. Finally, reliable methods need to be employed for assessing the orbit quality and providing feedback to the different processing steps in the orbit computation process. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Precise orbit determination for TH02-02 satellites based on BDS3 and GPS observations

The Tianhui-2 02 (TH02-02) satellite formation, as a supplement to the microwave mapping satellite system Tianhui-2 01 (TH02-01), is the first Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) satellite formation-flying system that supports the tracking of BeiDou global navigation Satellite system (BDS3) new B1C and B2a signals. Meanwhile, the twin TH02-02 satellites also support the tracking of Global Positioning System (GPS) L1&L2 and BDS B1I&B3I signals. As the spaceborne receiver employs two independent boards to track the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellites, we design an orbit determination strategy by estimating independent receiver clock offsets epoch by epoch for each GNSS to realize the multi-GNSS data fusion from different boards. The performance of the spaceborne receiver is evaluated and the contribution of BDS3 to the kinematic and reduced-dynamic Precise Orbit Determination (POD) of TH02-02 satellites is investigated. The tracking data onboard shows that the average number of available BDS3 and GPS satellites are 8.7 and 9.1, respectively. The carrier-to-noise ratio and carrier phase noise of BDS3 B1C and B2a signals are comparable to those of GPS. However, strong azimuth-related systematic biases are recognized in the pseudorange multipath errors of B1C and B3I. The pseudorange noise of BDS3 signals is better than that of GPS after eliminating the multipath errors from specific signals. Taking the GPS-based reduced-dynamic orbit with single-receiver ambiguity fixing technique as a reference, the results of BDS3-only and BDS3 + GPS combined POD are assessed. The Root Mean Square (RMS) of orbit comparison of BDS3-based kinematic and reduced-dynamic POD with reference orbit are better than 7 cm and 3 cm in three-Dimensional direction (3D). The POD performance based on B1C&B2a data is comparable to that based on B1I&B3I. The precision of BDS3 + GPS combined kinematic orbit can reach up to 3 cm (3D RMS), which has a more than 25% improvement relative to the GPS-only solution. In addition, the consistency between the BDS3 + GPS combined reduced-dynamic orbit and the GPS-based ambiguity-fixed orbit is better than 1.5 cm (3D RMS).     

Precision Synchronization of Satellites in Inclined Orbits

Synchronization between an Earth station and a satellite in geostationary orbit can be accomplished by repeatedly transmitting sync burst signals and making small timing corrections. However, when a satellite is in an inclined nonsynchronous orbit, such as a navigation satellite, the problem is more complex due to the high relative velocity of the navigation satellite relative to the ground. One possible solution to the problem is examined by employing a satellite in geostationary orbit to communicate with the navigation satellite. It is shown that the uplink delay to the navigation satellite can be deduced to an accuracy of about 1 ns by making a single round trip transmission.     

Optical Calibration of Geostationary Satellite Tracking Systems

A precise calibration method for range and angle observation has been developed for eliminating the systematic error of tracking systems, thus improving the accuracy of orbit determination for geostationary satellites. The principle of calibration is based on an orbit determination employing a point of optical angle observation in addition to radio tracking observation, in which we estimate observation bias parameters simultaneously with orbital elements, including the effects of geodetic mismodelings. As shown by an actual calibration experiment in our ground station, orbit determinations is sufficiently accurate that the error of predicting satellite range falls within a few meters at four days after the day of orbit determination.     

Inter-satellite link augmented BeiDou-3 orbit determination for precise point positioning

Precise Point Positioning(PPP) requires precise products, including high-accuracy satellite orbit and clock parameters. It is impossible to obtain an orbit solution that is sufficiently accurate for PPP services with a regional tracking network; therefore, satellite orbits are usually estimated by a global tracking network with a large number of ground stations. However, it is expensive to build globally distributed stations. Fortunately, BeiDou-3 satellites carry an InterSatellite Link(ISL) pay...     

Orbital Inclination Effects on Communications Satellite System Design

Starting from the analysis of recommendations and technical reports of the International Telecommunications Union on the stationkeeping and pointing accuracy requirements of quasi-geostationary communications satellites, the following effects of orbital inclination and yaw control error on the system design are discussed: (1) the excursion in longitude during a 24 h period; (2) the efficiency of the geostationary orbit utilization for systems with frequency reuse using linear orthogonal polarizations; (3) the angular tracking requirements of Earth station antennas; and (4) the performance of TDMA systems.     

Spaceborne GPS receiver antenna phase center offset and variation estimation for the Shiyan 3 satellite

In determining the orbits of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites using spaceborne GPS, the errors caused by receiver antenna phase center offset (PCO) and phase center variations (PCVs) are gradually becoming a major limiting factor for continued improvements to accuracy. Shiyan 3, a small satellite mission for space technology experimentation and climate exploration, was developed by China and launched on November 5, 2008. The dual-frequency GPS receiver payload delivers 1 Hz data and provides the basis for precise orbit determination within the range of a few centime-ters. The antenna PCO and PCV error characteristics and the principles influencing orbit determi-nation are analyzed. The feasibility of PCO and PCV estimation and compensation in different directions is demonstrated through simulation and in-flight tests. The values of receiver antenna PCO and PCVs for Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and Shiyan 3 satellites are estimated from one month of data. A large and stable antenna PCO error, reaching up to 10.34 cm in the z-direction, is found with the Shiyan 3 satellite. The PCVs on the Shiyan 3 satellite are estimated and reach up to 3.0 cm, which is slightly larger than that of GRACE satellites. Orbit validation clearly improved with independent k-band ranging (KBR) and satellite laser ranging (SLR) measurements. For GRACE satellites, the average root mean square (RMS) of KBR resid-uals improved from 1.01 cm to 0.88 cm. For the Shiyan 3 satellite, the average RMS of SLR resid-uals improved from 4.95 cm to 4.06 cm.     

Basic performance of BeiDou-2 navigation satellite system used in LEO satellites precise orbit determination

The visibility for low earth orbit（LEO） satellites provided by the BeiDou-2 system is analyzed and compared with the global positioning system（GPS）. In addition, the spaceborne receivers＇ observations are simulated by the BeiDou satellites broadcast ephemeris and LEO satellites orbits. The precise orbit determination（POD） results show that the along-track component accuracy is much better over the service area than the non-service area, while the accuracy of the other two directions keeps at the same level over different areas. However, the 3-dimensional（3D） accuracy over the two areas shows almost no difference. Only taking into consideration the observation noise and navigation satellite ephemeris errors, the 3D accuracy of the POD is about30 cm. As for the precise relative orbit determination（PROD）, the 3D accuracy is much better over the eastern hemisphere than that of the western hemisphere. The baseline length accuracy is 3.4 mm over the service area, and it is still better than 1 cm over the non-service area. This paper demonstrates that the BeiDou regional constellation could provide global service to LEO satellites for the POD and the PROD. Finally, the benefit of geostationary earth orbit（GEO） satellites is illustrated for POD.     

Quick position determination using 1 or 2 LEO satellites

We describe an approach for a medium accuracy position determination of a user terminal (UT) on the Earth surface, using one or two low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. The positioning approach is intended to meet the requirements of a worldwide personal communications system using LEO satellites. The basic two requirements are: (1) immediate positioning, and (2) horizontal position accuracy of the order of 10 km. Those requirements stem from the need of the system to know the user's approximate location before it connects his call. The approach makes use of the two-way communication with the UT, which can receive, transmit, and make its own measurements. Delay and Doppler measurements are used in order to enable instantaneous positioning with one satellite, and in order to achieve unambiguous positioning with two satellites. A simplified Globalstar satellite constellation and the expected Globalstar delay and frequency measurement accuracy are used to demonstrate the concept and to evaluate its performances     

空间飞行器的多普勒实时自主定轨精度分析

空间飞行器需要实时的高精度轨道信息来完成对栽荷的指令操作和遥感数据的实时处理。除了星栽GPS技术,星载多普勒无线电定轨定位系统（DORIS,Doppler Orbitography and Radio—positioning Intergrated by Satellite）是仅有的有能力提供分米级精度的实时在轨轨道确定技术,它可通过测量星地相对多普勒频移,在星上完成实时定轨和预报,目前该技术已在国外多个卫星上实现,达到了较好的效果,而我国还没有建立这样实时自主定轨系统。为此,结合我国高分辨率空间对地观测系统的建设需求和我国航天器对实时自主定轨及其精度的要求,利用扩展卡尔曼滤波算法对多普勒测量进行了实时自主定轨仿真计算,分析了频率偏差估计与否、初轨误差、地面信标站地理分布以及观测精度等对实时自主定轨的滤波收敛时间和定轨精度的影响,为我国利用DORIS技术进行实时在轨轨道确定提供方案和软件原型。仿真计算表明,基于28个全球分布的地面站,对于高度为800km的卫星,在忽略其动力学模型误差的假设下,若初轨三维位置、速度误差分别为100m（或差至1km）、1m／S（1d）,2h后滤波可以达到稳定收敛,收敛后的实时定轨误差可以达到0．1m（1d）。滤波估计参数除了6个卫星轨道状态参数,还估计了地面信标相对于卫星超稳定振荡器的频率偏差;     

双线程滑动窗口多系统GNSS超快精密定轨实现及评估

全球导航卫星系统（GNSS）超快精密定轨为GNSS实时应用提供了高精度空间基准。基于天地协同定位、导航与授时（PNT）网络服务中心实现了四系统GNSS卫星超快精密定轨,并对定轨结果进行精度评价。介绍了天地协同PNT网络的概念内涵以及网络服务中心部署的超快精密定轨软件架构和详细功能,并针对实时应用需求提出了一种双线程滑动窗口超快精密定轨策略。最后利用重叠弧段比较、与外部轨道产品比较以及卫星激光测距（SLR）检核3种方式对定轨结果进行了精度评价。结果表明,与武汉大学分析中心的最终事后精密轨道产品相比,四系统GNSS MEO卫星预报6 h弧段的径向均方根（RMS）误差整体在2~5 cm水平,BDS2 IGSO卫星最小一维RMS误差在10~15 cm水平;GPS和Galileo卫星的SLR检核残差均值在1~3 cm水平,标准差在3~6 cm水平,能够满足后续厘米级实时应用对空间基准的精度需求。     

I: PRECISE ORBIT DETERMINATION AND GRAVITY FIELD MODELLING: Strategies for Precise Orbit Determination of Low Earth Orbiters Using the GPS

Considerable experience accumulated during the past decade in strategies for processing GPS data from ground-based geodetic receivers. First experience on the use of GPS observations from spaceborne receivers for orbit determination of satellites on low altitude orbits was gained with the launch of TOPEX/POSEIDON ten years ago. The launch of the CHAMP satellite in July 2000 stimulated a number of activities worldwide on improving the strategies and algorithms for orbit determination for Low Earth Orbiters (LEOs) using the GPS. Similar strategies as for ground-based receivers are applied to data from spaceborne GPS receivers to determine high precision orbits. Zero- and double-differencing techniques are applied to obtain kinematic and/or reduced-dynamic orbits with an accuracy which is today at the decimeter level. Further developments in modeling and processing strategies will continuously improve the quality of GPS-derived LEO orbits in the near future. A significant improvement can be expected from fixing double-difference phase ambiguities to integer numbers. Particular studies focus on the impact of a combined processing of LEO and GPS orbits on the quality of orbits and the reference frame realization. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

基于气压高度辅助的机载自主完好性监测算法

卫星接收机自主完好性监测是指根据用户接收机的多余观测值监测用户定位结果的完好性,其目的是在导航过程中检测出发生故障的卫星,并保障导航定位精度。针对卫星接收机自主完好性监测算法可用性不足的问题,结合机载实际导航系统配置,提出了一种基于气压高度表辅助的机载自主完好性监测算法。综合利用卫星导航系统及气压高度表观测信息,建立联合系统的观测模型,推导了基于多解分离的完好性监测及保护级别计算方法。仿真结果表明,相比于传统的接收机自主完好性监测算法,该算法在可见星为5颗时仍能识别故障卫星。该算法具有更好的故障检测能力及可用性,能有效提高卫星导航系统的完好性监测性能,从而保证卫星导航系统的精度和可靠性。     

Orbit Determination Accuracies Using Satellite-to-Satellite Tracking

The results are reported of the ATS-6/GEOS-3 and the ATS-6 NIMBUS-6 satellite-to-satellite orbit determination experiments. NASA intends to use the tracking data relay satellite system for operational orbit determination of NASA satellites. Hence, in the near future, satellite-to-satellite tracking data will be routinely processed to obtain orbits. The satellite-to-satellite tracking system used in the ATS-6/NIMBUS-6 and ATS-6/GEOS-3 experiments performed with a resolution of 1 to 2 m in range and less than 1 mm/s in range rate for a 10-s averaging. A Bayesian least squares estimation technique utilizing independent ranging to the synchronous relay satellite was determined to be the most effective procedure for estimating orbits from satellite-to-satellite tracking data. The use of this technique yields estimates of user satellite orbits which are comparable in accuracy to what is usually obtained from ground based systems.