卫星与测站钟差支持条件下的GEO卫星精密定轨

在基于伪距的GEO卫星精密定轨中, GEO卫星的静地特性导致定轨解算无法对星地组合钟差进行有效估计, 需要独立的时间同步支持. 本文讨论了卫星和测站钟差支持条件下的GEO卫星定轨原理, 利用仿真数据系统地分析了中国区域网跟踪条件下GEO卫星的定轨精度, 从定性和定量角度分析了钟差二次项、星地时间同步精度、站间时间同步精度及系统差等因素对定轨精度的影响.      

The possibilities of polar meteorology,environmental remote sensing,communications and space weather applications from Artificial Lagrange Orbit

The ability to observe meteorological events in the polar regions of the Earth from satellite celebrated an anniversary, with the launch of TIROS-I in a pseudo-polar orbit on 1 April 1960. Yet, after 50 years, polar orbiting satellites are still the best view of the polar regions of the Earth. The luxuries of geostationary satellite orbit including rapid scan operations, feature tracking, and atmospheric motion vectors (or cloud drift winds), are enjoyed only by the middle and tropical latitudes or perhaps only cover the deep polar regions in the case of satellite derived winds from polar orbit. The prospect of a solar sailing satellite system in an Artificial Lagrange Orbit (ALO, also known as “pole sitters”) offers the opportunity for polar environmental remote sensing, communications, forecasting and space weather monitoring. While there are other orbital possibilities to achieve this goal, an ALO satellite system offers one of the best analogs to the geostationary satellite system for routine polar latitude observations.     

Bayesian linking of geosynchronous orbital debris tracks as seen by the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope

We describe a Bayesian sampling model for linking and constraining orbit models from angular observations of “streaks” in optical telescope images. Our algorithm is particularly suited to situations where the observation times are small fractions of the orbital periods of the observed objects or when there is significant confusion of objects in the observation field. We use Markov Chain Monte Carlo to sample from the joint posterior distribution of the parameters of multiple orbit models (up to the number of observed tracks) and parameters describing which tracks are linked with which orbit models. Using this algorithm, we forecast the constraints on geosynchronous (GEO) debris orbits achievable with the planned Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). Because of the short 15 s exposure times, preliminary orbit determinations of GEO objects from LSST will have large and degenerate errors on the orbital elements. Combined with the expected crowded fields of GEO debris it will be challenging to reliably link orbital tracks in LSST observations given the currently planned observing cadence.     

Geosynchronous satellites expanding a future GNSS satellite constellation: A precise orbit determination study

The integration of geosynchronous orbit (GSO) satellites in Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) is mostly discussed to enable a regional enhancement for tracking. But how do GSO satellites affect the orbit determination of the rest of the constellation? How accurately can these orbits be determined in a future GNSS tracking scenario with optical links? In this simulation study we analyze the benefit of GSO satellites as an expansion of a MEO (Medium Earth Orbit) satellite constellation – we selected the Galileo satellite constellation – for MEO Precise Orbit Determination (POD). We address not only the impact on POD of MEO satellites but also the possibility to precisely determine the GSO satellites – geostationary orbits (GEO) and inclined geosynchronous orbits (IGSO) – in such an expanded MEO constellation. In addition to GNSS microwave observations, we analyze the influence of different optical links between the participating entities: Optical two-way Inter-Satellite Links (OISL) and ground-space oriented Optical Two-Way Links (OTWL). These optical measurements together with the GNSS microwave observations give a remarkable benefit for the POD capability. In the case of GNSS and OTWL, we simulate the measurements with regard to a network of 16 ground stations. We pay great attention to the simulation of systematic effects of all measurement techniques. We discuss the influence on the systematic errors as well as the formal orbit uncertainties. A MEO constellation expanded with GSO satellites as well as the use of optical links together with GNSS observations not only improves the MEO satellite orbits but also the GSOs to a great extent.     

Galileo real-time orbit determination with multi-frequency raw observations

Real-time GNSS-based applications require corresponding real-time orbit products. While traditional GNSS orbits are generated with the dual-frequency IF (Ionosphere-Free) model, the increase of multi-frequency signal satellites brings new challenges for the data processing. Therefore, real-time orbit determination with the multi-frequency UC (Uncombined) model is introduced in this study considering its flexibility. With the derived mathematical model conforming to IGS (International GNSS Service) dual-frequency clock definition and one-week triple-frequency Galileo observation data from 90 IGS network stations, the convergence and accuracy of real-time orbits is assessed and the characteristics of satellite IFCB (Inter-Frequency Clock Bias) are analyzed. Results indicate that the model differences, including dual-frequency IF model, dual-frequency UC model and triple-frequency UC model, contribute to only cm-level differences with CODE (Center for Orbit Determination in Europe) final orbits after a convergence time of around 12 h. The constellation-mean RMS (Root Mean Square) differences of the converged real-time orbits with the CODE final orbits reaches about 5.0 cm, 7.0 cm and 5.0 cm for the radial, tangential and normal directions. The convergence of satellite IFCB is much faster than that of satellite orbit, which reflects a loose correlation between these two parameters. While the Galileo satellite IFCB are temporally stable, the modeling of satellite IFCB may be unreliable when over constrained and becomes even more unstable with commonly encountered datum changes. In summary, real-time GNSS orbit determination with multi-frequency raw observations is feasible and extendable with proper treatment of IFCB.     

Orbit determination and prediction of GEO satellite of BeiDou during repositioning maneuver

In order to establish a continuous GEO satellite orbit during repositioning maneuvers, a suitable maneuver force model has been established associated with an optimal orbit determination method and strategy. A continuous increasing acceleration is established by constructing a constant force that is equivalent to the pulse force, with the mass of the satellite decreasing throughout maneuver. This acceleration can be added to other accelerations, such as solar radiation, to obtain the continuous acceleration of the satellite. The orbit determination method and strategy are illuminated, with subsequent assessment of the orbit being determined and predicted accordingly. The orbit of the GEO satellite during repositioning maneuver can be determined and predicted by using C-Band pseudo-range observations of the BeiDou GEO satellite with COSPAR ID 2010-001A in 2011 and 2012. The results indicate that observations before maneuver do affect orbit determination and prediction, and should therefore be selected appropriately. A more precise orbit and prediction can be obtained compared to common short arc methods when observations starting 1 day prior the maneuver and 2 h after the maneuver are adopted in POD (Precise Orbit Determination). The achieved URE (User Range Error) under non-consideration of satellite clock errors is better than 2 m within the first 2 h after maneuver, and less than 3 m for further 2 h of orbit prediction.     

Orbit determination of BDS-3 satellite based on regional ground tracking station and inter-satellite link observations

The BeiDou global navigation satellite system (BDS-3) has established the Ka-band inter-satellite link (ISL) to realize a two-way ranging function between satellites, which provides a new observation technology for the orbit determination of BDS-3 satellites. Therefore, this study presents a BDS satellite orbit determination model based on ground tracking station (GTS) observations and ISL ranging observations firstly to analyze the impact of the ISL ranging observations on the orbit determination of BDS-3 satellites. Subsequently, considering the data fusion processing, the variance component estimation (VCE) algorithm is applied to the parameter estimation process of the satellite orbit determination. Finally, using the measured data from China’s regional GTS observations and BDS-3 ISL ranging observations, the effects of ISL ranging observations on the orbit determination accuracy of BDS-3 satellites are analyzed. Moreover, the impact of the VCE algorithm on the fusion data processing is evaluated from the aspects of orbit determination accuracy, Ka-band hardware delay parameter stability, and ISL ranging observation residuals. The results show that for China’s regional GTSs, the addition of BDS-3 ISL ranging observations can significantly improve the orbit determination accuracy of BDS-3 satellites. The observed orbit determination accuracy of satellite radial component is improved from 48 cm to 4.1 cm. In addition, when the initial weight ratio between GTS observations and ISL ranging observations is not appropriate, the various indicators which include orbit determination accuracy, ISL hardware delay, and ISL observation residuals were observed to have improved after the adjustment of the VCE algorithm. These results validate the effectiveness of the VCE algorithm for the fusion data processing of the GTS observations and ISL ranging observations.     

Estimation of differential code biases with Jason-2/3 onboard GPS observations

With the continuous deployment of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, the estimation of differential code biases (DCBs) based on GNSS observations from LEO has gained increasing attention. Previous studies on LEO-based DCB estimation are usually using the spherical symmetry ionosphere assumption (SSIA), in which a uniform electron density is assumed in a thick shell. In this study, we propose an approach (named the SHLEO method) to simultaneously estimate the satellite and LEO onboard receiver DCBs by modeling the distribution of the global plasmaspheric total electron content (PTEC) above the satellite orbit with a spherical harmonic (SH) function. Compared to the commonly used SSIA method, the SHLEO model improves the GPS satellite DCB estimation accuracy by 13.46% and the stability by 22.34%, respectively. Compared to the GPS satellite DCBs estimated based on the Jason-3-only observations, the accuracy and monthly stability of the satellite DCBs can be improved by 14.42% and 26.8% when both Jason-2 and Jason-3 onboard observations are jointly processed. Compared with the Jason-2 solutions, the GPS satellite DCB estimates based on the fusion of Jason-2 and Jason-3 observations have an improved consistency of better than 18.26% and 9.71% with the products provided by the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE) and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Taking the DCB products provided by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) as references, there is no improvement in accuracy of the GPS satellite DCB estimates based on the fusion of Jason-2 and Jason-3 observations than the Jason-2 solutions alone. A periodic variation is found in the time series of both the Jason-3 and Jason-2 onboard receiver DCB estimates. Preliminary analysis of the PTEC distribution based on the estimated SH coefficients are also presented.     

LEO空间碎片甚短弧角度数据初轨确定方法对比

光学观测是空间目标观测中最常见的一种观测方式。采用扫描模式工作时光学观测得到的观测弧段弧长通常很短,有时甚至不到被观测空间目标运行周期的1%,这样的角度数据被称为甚短弧角度数据。基于近圆LEO空间碎片地基实测场景,研究比较仅利用角度数据进行初始轨道确定常用方法的性能差异,分析观测弧长对不同初轨确定算法的定轨成功率和误差的影响,为初轨确定工作提供参考。对比分析了常用的几种方法,包括Laplace方法、Gauss方法、Gooding方法和近几年提出的距离搜索算法等。大规模实测数据处理结果显示,距离搜索算法的成功率高于90%,初轨半长轴统计误差仅为25 km。初轨结果表明,距离搜索算法定轨成功率高于其他算法。研究成果可为解决空间碎片初轨确定问题提供参考。      

Near real-time BDS GEO satellite orbit determination and maneuver analysis with reversed point positioning

The Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite is a crucial part of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) constellation. However, due to various perturbation forces acting on the GEO satellite, it drifts gradually over time. Thus, frequent orbit maneuvers are required to maintain the satellite at its designed position. During the orbit maneuver and recovery periods, the orbit quality of the maneuvered satellite computed with broadcast navigation ephemeris will be significantly degraded. Furthermore, the conventional dynamic Precise Orbit Determination (POD) approach may not work well, because of a lack of publicly available satellite information for modeling the thrust forces. In this paper, a near real-time approach free of thrust forces modeling is proposed for BDS GEO satellite orbit determination and maneuver analysis based on the Reversed Point Positioning (RPP). First, the station coordinates and receiver clock offsets are estimated by GPS/BDS combined Single Point Positioning (SPP) with single-frequency phase-smoothed pseudorange observations. Then, with the fixed station coordinates and receiver clock offsets, the RPP method can be conducted to determine the GEO satellite orbits. When no orbit maneuvers occur, the proposed method can obtain orbit accuracies of 0.92, 2.74, and 8.30?m in the radial, along-track, and cross-track directions, respectively. The average orbit-only Signal-In-Space Range Error (SISRE) is 1.23?m, which is slightly poorer than that of the broadcast navigation ephemeris. Using four days of GEO maneuvered datasets, it is further demonstrated that the derived orbits can be employed to characterize the behaviors of GEO satellite maneuvers, such as the time span of the maneuver as well as the satellite thrusting accelerations. These results prove the efficiency of the proposed method for near real-time GEO satellite orbit determination during maneuvers.     

Impact of the orbital eccentricity on the attitude performance before and after the deorbiting phase for Alsat-1

Due to the presence of periodic forcing terms in the gravity gradient torque, orbit eccentricity may produce large response for the roll, yaw and pitch angles. This paper investigates the influence of the orbit eccentricity on the performance of the attitude determination and control subsystem (ADCS) pointing of passive Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites stabilized by a gravity gradient boom or having long appendages before and after the deorbiting operation. The contribution of this work is twofold. First, the satellite attitude dynamics and kinematics are modeled by introducing the orbit eccentricity in the equations of motion of a LEO satellite in order to provide the best scenario in which satellite operators can keep the nominal functionality of LEO satellites with a gravity gradient boom after the deorbiting operation. Second, a Quaternion-based Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) is analyzed when the orbit eccentricity is considered in order to determine the influence of this disturbance on the convergence and stability of the filter. The simulations in this work are based on the true parameters of Alsat-1 which is a typical LEO satellite stabilized by a gravity gradient boom. The results show that the orbit eccentricity has a big influence on the pointing system accuracy causing micro-vibrations that affect the geocentric pointing particularly after the deorbiting phase. In this case, satellites have no orbital correction option. The Quaternion-based Extended Kalman Filter analyzed in this paper, achieved satisfactory results for eccentricity values less than 0.4 with respect to pointing system accuracy. However, singularities were observed for eccentricity values greater than 0.4.     

Higher order ionospheric error correction in BDS precise orbit determination

The ionospheric error affects the accuracy of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems observation and precise orbit determination. Usually, only the first order ionospheric error is considered, which can be eliminated by the ionospheric-free linear combination observation. But the remaining higher order ionospheric error will affect the accuracy of observations and their applications. In this paper, the influence of the higher order ionospheric error have been studied by using the International Geomagnetic Reference Field 13 and the Global Ionosphere Maps model produced by the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe. Focus on ionospheric error, the experiment of paper at doy 302 in 2019, which show that the second order ionospheric error impacting BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) B1I and B3I observation is 6.3569 mm and 11.8484 mm, respectively. Whereas, the third order ionospheric error impacting BDS B1I and B3I observation is 0.1734 mm and 0.3977 mm, respectively. Due to the current measurement accuracy of BDS carrier-phase observation can reach 2 mm, the influence of high order ionospheric error on observation should be considered. For BDS precise orbit determination, the orbit overlapping results are indicated that its orbit accuracy can be improved approximately 5 mm with the higher order ionospheric error correction, which is also in agreement with the results of Satellite Laser Ranging in this work.     

粗差拟准检定法在星载GPS低轨卫星定轨中的应用

利用自适应卡尔曼滤波进行星载GPS低轨卫星定轨时,必须解决量测方程中经常存在的粗差问题．在分析以往方法的优缺点后,用拟准检定法来探测和修正量测方程中存在的粗差．该法的优点是辨识粗差准确率高,能同时定位多个粗差．另外,为了克服星载GPS低轨卫星定轨的滤波器可能出现的数值不稳定性及发散现象,还采用了UD分解算法及Sage自适应滤波器．最后用一个CHAMP卫星的模拟算例验证本方法的可行性和有效性．     

遥感卫星传感器的重复观测能力计算

遥感卫星传感器的重复观测能力是体现卫星系统动态监测能力的重要指标之一. 通过分析卫星星下点成像和侧视成像时的重访条件, 给出了卫星可能实现重访的轨道计算方法, 同时以HJ-1A/1B卫星(环境与灾害监测预报小卫星星座的光学星)为例, 给出了特定地区可以实现重访的优选轨道, 并讨论了由两颗卫星组成的卫星星座对重访的影响, 以及纬度对重访的影响.      

Orbit determination performances using single- and double-differenced methods: SAC-C and KOMPSAT-2

In this paper, Global Positioning System-based (GPS) Orbit Determination (OD) for the KOrea-Multi-Purpose-SATellite (KOMPSAT)-2 using single- and double-differenced methods is studied. The requirement of KOMPSAT-2 orbit accuracy is to allow 1 m positioning error to generate 1-m panchromatic images. KOMPSAT-2 OD is computed using real on-board GPS data. However, the local time of the KOMPSAT-2 GPS receiver is not synchronized with the zero fractional seconds of the GPS time internally, and it continuously drifts according to the pseudorange epochs. In order to resolve this problem, an OD based on single-differenced GPS data from the KOMPSAT-2 uses the tagged time of the GPS receiver, and the accuracy of the OD result is assessed using the overlapping orbit solution between two adjacent days. The clock error of the GPS satellites in the KOMPSAT-2 single-differenced method is corrected using International GNSS Service (IGS) clock information at 5-min intervals. KOMPSAT-2 OD using both double- and single-differenced methods satisfies the requirement of 1-m accuracy in overlapping three dimensional orbit solutions. The results of the SAC-C OD compared with JPL’s POE (Precise Orbit Ephemeris) are also illustrated to demonstrate the implementation of the single- and double-differenced methods using a satellite that has independent orbit information available for validation.     

VLBI observations to the APOD satellite

The APOD (Atmospheric density detection and Precise Orbit Determination) is the first LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellite in orbit co-located with a dual-frequency GNSS (GPS/BD) receiver, an SLR reflector, and a VLBI X/S dual band beacon. From the overlap statistics between consecutive solution arcs and the independent validation by SLR measurements, the orbit position deviation was below 10?cm before the on-board GNSS receiver got partially operational. In this paper, the focus is on the VLBI observations to the LEO satellite from multiple geodetic VLBI radio telescopes, since this is the first implementation of a dedicated VLBI transmitter in low Earth orbit. The practical problems of tracking a fast moving spacecraft with current VLBI ground infrastructure were solved and strong interferometric fringes were obtained by cross-correlation of APOD carrier and DOR (Differential One-way Ranging) signals. The precision in X-band time delay derived from 0.1?s integration time of the correlator output is on the level of 0.1?ns. The APOD observations demonstrate encouraging prospects of co-location of multiple space geodetic techniques in space, as a first prototype.     

利用TLE数据分析LEO卫星轨道异常的新方法——————综合判据法

及时准确地发现在轨卫星的轨道异常意义重大. 通过有效的异常算法, 能够找出发生轨道异常的碎片或航天器, 为空间碎片碰撞预警系统分析和验证碰撞事件提供数据支持. 通过对利用TLE (Two Line Elements)数据分析LEO在轨卫星轨道异常的方法研究, 提出了一个利用单个卫星相邻根数时间差控制加综合判据的判别方法. 分析表明, 相对于取单一因素阈值的判别方法, 综合判据法能够最大限度地减少漏判, 并且保持相对较高的判断准确率.      

Analysis of laser ranges and angular measurements data fusion for space debris orbit determination

In the framework of space debris, the orbit determination process is a fundamental step, both, for researchers and for satellite operators. The accurate knowledge of the orbit of space debris objects is needed to allow space debris characterization studies and to avoid unnecessary collision avoidance maneuvers.The accuracy of the results of an orbit determination process depends on several factors as the number, the accuracy, the kind of processed measurements, their distribution along the orbit, and the object-observer relative geometry. When the observation coverage of the target orbit is not homogeneous, the accuracy of the orbit determination can be improved processing different kind of observables. Recent studies showed that the satellite laser ranging technique can be successfully applied to space debris.In this paper, we will investigate the benefits of using laser ranges and angular measurements for the orbit determination process. We will analyze the influence of the number of used observations, of the covered arc of orbit, of each observable, and of the observation geometry on the estimated parameters. Finally, using data acquired on short observation arcs, we analyze the achievable accuracies for the orbital regimes with the highest space debris density, and to the consequences of the data fusion on catalog maintenance operations. The results shown are obtained using only real data (both angular and laser measurements) provided by sensors of the Swiss Optical Ground Station and Geodynamics Observatory Zimmerwald owned by the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB) and for some studies also using ranges provided from other stations of the International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS).     

基于单站CCD漂移扫描光电设备的同步轨道目标测定轨

地基光电观测在同步轨道目标监测领域具有重要作用.为评估单站光电设备对同步轨道目标的实际测定轨能力,利用上海天文台佘山站1.56m望远镜,采用CCD漂移扫描光电技术,对3颗北斗同步卫星开展试验观测,基于卫星精密星历评估目标的测定轨外符精度.结果表明:同步轨道目标的天文定位在方位和俯仰方向上的外符精度均好于0.3";在单圈次观测情况下,尽管轨道预报精度较低,约为数千米量级,但是观测弧段内定轨精度可优于百米;在多圈次观测情况下,轨道改进效果显著,定轨精度优于50m,外推至4d的轨道预报精度为百米量级.此外,定量评估了每晚不同观测时间跨度下同步轨道目标的测定轨精度,为单站光电设备实际应用提供了参考.      

The use of Gaussian equations of motions of a satellite for local gravity anomaly recovery

The orbital elements of a low Earth orbiting satellite and their velocities can be used for local determination of gravity anomaly. The important issue is to find direct relations among the anomalies and these parameters. Here, a primary theoretical study is presented for this purpose. The Gaussian equations of motion of a satellite are used to develop integral formulas for recovering the gravity anomalies. The behaviour of kernels of the integrals are investigated for a two-month simulated orbit similar to that of the Gravity field and steady-state ocean circulation explorer (GOCE) mission over Fennoscandia. Numerical investigations show that the integral formulas have neither isotropic nor well-behaved kernels. In such a case, gravity anomaly recovery is not successful due to large spatial truncation error of the integral formulas. Reformulation of the problem by combining the orbital elements and their velocities leads to an integral with a well-behaved kernel which is suitable for our purpose. Also based on these combinations some general relations among the orbital elements and their velocities are obtained which can be used for validation of orbital parameters and their velocities.