On the information contents and regularisation of lunar gravity field solutions

Till the present day the recovery of the lunar gravity field from satellite tracking data depends in a crucial way on the level and method of regularisation. With Earth-based tracking only, the spatial data coverage is limited to only slightly more than 50% and the inverse problem remains severely ill-posed. The development of global gravity models suitable for precise orbit modeling as well as geophysical studies therefore requires a significant level of regularisation, limiting the solution power over the far-side where no gravity information is available. Unconstrained solutions, within the framework of global harmonic base functions, are only possible for very low degrees (< 10). Any significant change to this situation is only to be expected when global satellite-to-satellite tracking data of high quality becomes available early in the next decade. Yet, a rigorous analysis of the impact of the chosen method and level of regularisation is lacking. Most gravity models employ a Kaula-type signal smoothness constraint of 15 × 10⁻⁵ /l², which allows a good overall data fit as well as a smooth field over the far-side. Furthermore, a geographical type of constraint has been suggested, where surface accelerations have been introduced in areas of no data coverage. Modern numerical methods, on the other hand, offer direct tools and search mechanisms for the optimal level of regularisation. This paper presents a study of Tikhonov-type regularisation of lunar gravity solutions, with emphasis on the so-called L-curve and quasi-optimality methods for regularisation parameter estimation. Furthermore, new quality measures of lunar gravity solutions are presented, which account for the bias introduced by the regularisation.     

卫星光轴复合指向控制方法研究

卫星平台搭载光学载荷对空间运动目标进行跟踪指向技术已经成为卫星发展的重点，为了提升卫星光轴的指向范围、跟踪精度和机动性，仅依靠卫星的姿态调整已无法提升卫星光轴的性能。通过对由卫星姿态、星载光电转台和快反镜组成的卫星复合光轴指向系统的分析，需三者协同工作，输出有效叠加，才能有效提升卫星光轴的指向范围、跟踪精度和机动性。对卫星姿态控制系统、星载光电转台控制系统、快反镜控制系统进行研究建模后，确定了三者的作动频带。通过建立辅助PQ单位反馈系统，运用频率响应法设计复合指向控制器，模拟某轨道的卫星与跟踪目标的相对运动轨迹作为仿真模型的输入。仿真数据表明卫星光轴的跟踪指向误差由0.6°下降到了0.05°，证明了复合指向控制律有效提升了卫星光轴的性能。     

基于机动力模型的GEO卫星恢复期间定轨

北斗卫星导航系统(BDS)中GEO卫星频繁的轨道机动对高精度、实时不间断的导 航服务需求提出了更高要求, 如何在短弧跟踪条件下提高GEO卫星轨道快速 恢复能力, 是提升导航系统服务精度的关键因素. 针对该问题, 本文提出了基 于机动力模型的动力学定轨方法, 尝试利用高精度的C波段转发式测距数据, 辅 以机动期间的遥测遥控信息建立机动力模型, 联合轨控前后的观测数据进行动 力学长弧定轨. 利用BDS中GEO卫星实测数据进行了定轨试验与分析, 结果表明, 恢复期间需要采用解算机动推力的定轨方法, 联合机动前、机动期间和机 动后4h数据定轨的轨道位置精度在20m量级, 径向精度优于2.5m. 该方 法克服了短弧跟踪条件下动力学法定轨和单点定位中的诸多问题, 提供了解决 GEO卫星机动后轨道快速恢复问题的技术方法.      

A simulation study for anticipated accuracy of lunar gravity field model by SELENE tracking data

Results of numerical simulations are presented to examine the global gravity field recovery capability of the Japanese lunar exploration project SELENE (SELenological and ENgineering Explorer) which will be launched in 2007. New characteristics of the SELENE lunar gravimetry include 4-way satellite-to-satellite Doppler tracking of main orbiter and differential VLBI tracking of two small free-flier satellites. It is shown that the proposed satellite constellation will provide the first truly global satellite tracking data coverage. The expected results from these data are; (1) drastic reduction in far-side gravity error, (2) estimation of many gravity coefficients by the observation, not by a priori information, and (3) one order of magnitude improvement over existing gravity models for low-degree field.     

基于Hu相关滤波的光学卫星视频点目标跟踪

针对光学卫星视频运动目标跟踪问题进行研究,提出一种鲁棒的特征描述和匹配跟踪方法。引入相关滤波的思想,首先利用样本集的Hu不变矩和中值滤波,建立目标的跟踪模板并进行目标特征描述。然后,将目标跟踪的判断区域降维处理,建立判断区域的Hu置信模型。利用FFT推导了快速相关法,进而通过求得跟踪置信图最大值实现目标跟踪。针对跟踪轨迹采用卡尔曼滤波辅助和优化跟踪处理,提高算法的鲁棒性。试验数据采用SkySat和吉林一号拍摄的视频各两段,对5个点目标进行跟踪试验,跟踪精度优于90%,跟踪过程目标不丢失,且轨迹平滑。针对13×13的判断区域,与一般相关性方法相比,处理速度可提升约5倍。可为光学卫星视频点目标实现快速可靠跟踪提供技术基础。     

Electron density retrieval from occulting GNSS signals using a gradient-aided inversion technique

In the coming years, opportunities for remote sensing of electron density in the Earth’s ionosphere will expand with the advent of Galileo, which will become part of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS). Methods for accurate electron density retrieval from radio occultation data continue to improve. We describe a new method of electron density retrieval using total electron content measurements obtained in low Earth orbit. This method can be applied to data from dual-frequency receivers tracking the GPS or Galileo transmitters. This simulation study demonstrates that the method significantly improves retrieval accuracy compared to the standard Abel inversion approach that assumes a spherically symmetric ionosphere. Our method incorporates horizontal gradient information available from global maps of Total Electron Content (TEC), which are available from the International GNSS Service (IGS) on a routine basis. The combination of ground and space measurements allows us to improve the accuracy of electron density profiles near the occultation tangent point in the E and F regions of the ionosphere.     

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.     

SPOT-2 and TOPEX/Poseidon precise orbit determination from DORIS doppler tracking

The French earth observation satellite SPOT-2 has served as a testbed for precise orbit determination from DORIS doppler tracking in anticipation of the TOPEX/Poseidon mission. Using the most up-to-data gravity field model, JGM-2, a radial orbit accuracy of about 2–9 cm was achieved, with an rms of fit of the tracking data of about 0.64 mm/s. Furthermore, it was found that the coordinates of the ground stations can be determined with an accuracy of the order of 2–5 cm after removal of common rotations, and translations.

Using a slightly different model for atmospheric drag, but the same gravity model, precise orbits of TOPEX/Poseidon from DORIS tracking data were determined with a radial orbit accuracy of the order of 4–5 cm, which is far within the 13 cm mission requirement. This conclusion is based on the analysis of 1-day overlap of successive 11-day orbits, and the comparisons with orbits computed from satellite laser tracking (SLR) and from the combination of SLR and DORIS tracking. Results indicate a consistency between the different orbits of 1–4 cm, 4–20 cm, and 6–13 cm in the radial, cross-track, and along-track directions, respectively. The residual rms is about 4–5 cm for SLR data and 0.56 mm/s for DORIS tracking. These numbers are roughly twice as large as the system noise levels, reflecting the fact that there are still some modeling errors left.     

基于特征融合与抗遮挡的卫星视频目标跟踪方法

卫星视频中的目标易受到遮挡和复杂环境干扰等影响，造成对目标的运动状态估计不够准确，导致目标跟踪失败。基于此，在核相关滤波(KCF)算法的基础上设计2种算法提高目标跟踪的成功率，实现鲁棒性的目标跟踪。通过提取目标的方向梯度直方图(HOG)特征、灰度特征和高斯曲率特征表述目标的外观模型；联合响应图的峰值和平均峰值相关能量(APCE)对目标的响应图进行自适应加权融合，并将融合后的响应图峰值作为置信度对目标的模型进行自适应更新；通过使用卡尔曼滤波的方法对遮挡的目标进行位置预测，当目标遮挡结束时，对目标进行重新跟踪，解决卫星视频中目标被遮挡的问题。大量实验结果表明:所改进的相关滤波算法对卫星视频中的目标跟踪，尤其是在复杂环境、目标被遮挡及场景光照发生变化的情况下，具有良好的效果，并且在目标跟踪的精度和成功率等方面都有很大的提高，为进一步对卫星视频中的目标跟踪奠定了基础。      

A substitute for BOC modulation based on SS-CPM

CPM (continuous phase modulation) has been widely used in the field of satellite communication, which has high spectrum efficiency and constant envelope. This paper explores the applicability of CPM to satellite navigation. A SS-CPM (Spread-Spectrum CPM) modulation is investigated. The SS-CPM with tuned parameters can resemble the spectrum of Binary Offset Carrier (BOC) modulation and yields comparable performance in terms of tracking accuracy, multipath mitigation, anti-jamming, and compatibility. The BOC-like SS-CPM signal maintains the constant envelope at transmission and less out-band emission in radio determination satellite service (RDSS) band, which provides a reference modulation for COMPASS satellite navigation signal.     

The electron formations under the radiation belts at L-shells 1.2–1.9

We continue to analyze the distribution of electron fluxes with energy 30–500 keV under the radiation belts at low and middle latitudes (L = 1.2–1.9) using experimental data obtained onboard ACTIVE satellite. Special attention is given to altitudinal distribution of electron fluxes and detailed analysis of these electron formations. We observe three main regions of electron flux registration that seem to exist constantly under the radiation belts. These regions are: magneto-conjugated to SAA region (in the north hemisphere), local zone of low intense electron flux accumulation to the west of SAA, and extensive region in the north hemisphere to the east. The analysis of experimental data obtained from ACTIVE satellite (orbit height 500–2500 km) shows that electron fluxes are registered in the wide altitude range up to 1100 km. It is shown that these formations have complicated initial structure with two regions of flux maximums: at L = 1.3 and L = 1.6–1.8. We compare particle data with low frequency (LF) data (ARIEL-4 satellite) and high frequency (HF) data (CORONAS-I satellite). Also we discuss the possible mechanisms of the appearance of these formations under the radiation belts.     

Distribution of chlorophyll and harmful algal blooms (HABs): A review on space based studies in the coastal environments of Chinese marginal seas

Monitoring of spatial and temporal distribution of chlorophyll (Chl-a) concentrations in the aquatic milieu is always challenging and often interesting. However, the recent advancements in satellite digital data play a significant role in providing outstanding results for the marine environmental investigations. The present paper is aimed to review ‘remote sensing research in Chinese seas’ within the period of 24 years from 1978 to 2002. Owing to generalized distributional pattern, the Chl-a concentrations are recognized high towards northern Chinese seas than the southern. Moreover, the coastal waters, estuaries, and upwelling zones always exhibit relatively high Chl-a concentrations compared with offshore waters. On the basis of marine Chl-a estimates obtained from satellite and other field measured environmental parameters, we have further discussed on the applications of satellite remote sensing in the fields of harmful algal blooms (HABs), primary production and physical oceanographic currents of the regional seas. Concerned with studies of HABs, satellite remote sensing proved more advantageous than any other conventional methods for large-scale applications. Probably, it may be the only source of authentic information responsible for the evaluation of new research methodologies to detect HABs. At present, studies using remote sensing methods are mostly confined to observe algal bloom occurrences, hence, it is essential to coordinate the mechanism of marine ecological and oceanographic dynamic processes of HABs using satellite remote sensing data with in situ measurements of marine environmental parameters. The satellite remote sensing on marine environment and HABs is believed to have a great improvement with popular application of technology.     

Precision orbit determination for TOPEX/Poseidon using TDRSS doppler tracking data

Precision orbit determination on the TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) altimeter satellite is now being routinely achieved with sub-5cm radial and sub-15 cm total positioning accuracy using state-of-the-art modeling with precision tracking provided by a combination of: (a) global Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) and Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS), or (b) the Global Positioning System (GPS) Constellation which provides pseudo-range and carrier phase observations. The geostationary Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) satellites are providing the operational tracking and communication support for this mission. The TDRSS Doppler data are of high precision (0.3 mm/s nominal noise levels). Unlike other satellite missions supported operationally by TDRSS, T/P has high quality independent tracking which enables absolute orbit accuracy assessments. In addition, the T/P satellite provides extensive geometry for positioning a satellite at geostationary altitude, and thus the TDRSS-T/P data provides an excellent means for determining the TDRS orbits. Arc lengths of 7 and 10 days with varying degrees of T/P spacecraft attitude complexity are studied. Sub-meter T/P total positioning error is achieved when using the TDRSS range-rate data, with radial orbit errors of 10.6 cm and 15.5 cm RMS for the two arcs studied. Current limitations in the TDRSS precision orbit determination capability include mismodeling of numerous TDRSS satellite-specific dynamic and electronic effects, and in the inadequate treatment of the propagation delay and bending arising from the wet troposphere and ionosphere.     

Long-wavelength lunar gravity field recovery from simulated orbit and inter-satellite tracking data

As has been demonstrated recently, inter-satellite Ka-band tracking data collected by the GRAIL (Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory) spacecraft have the potential to improve the resolution and accuracy of the lunar gravity field by several orders of magnitude compared to previous models. By means of a series of simulation studies, here we investigate the contribution of inter-satellite ranging for the recovery of the Moon’s gravitational features; the evaluation of results is made against findings from ground-based Doppler tracking. For this purpose we make use of classical dynamic orbit determination, supported by the analysis of satellite-to-satellite tracking observations. This study sheds particularly light on the influence of the angular distance between the two satellites, solar radiation modeling and the co-estimation of the lunar Love number k₂. The quality of the obtained results is assessed by gravity field power spectra, gravity anomalies and precision orbit determination. We expect our simulation results to be supportive for the processing of real GRAIL data.     

中继卫星单址链路调度模型与算法研究

中继卫星的任务规划与调度是空间资源管理的重要内容之一,目的在于为中继卫星系统的任务计划编制提供科学合理的决策手段与依据。中继卫星单址链路调度问题的重要特点在于,中继卫星与用户航天器之间并非时时可见,因此通信任务存在可见时间窗口约束。只有在可见时间窗口内,通信任务才可能执行并完成。在进行合理假设的基础上,建立中继卫星单址链路调度问题的约束规划模型。对基本遗传算法进行改进,提出了基于有效基因路径表示的改进遗传算法。应用结果表明,基于约束规划理论建立中继卫星单址链路调度模型并采用基于有效基因路径表示的遗传算法求解是合理的。     

Selenodetic experiments of SELENE: Relay subsatellite,differential VLBI,and laser altimeter

Since 1960s, the gravitational potential of the Moon has been extensively studied from Doppler tracking data between a ground station and spacecraft orbiting in front of the Moon (e. g., Lorell and Sjogren, 1968; Bills and Ferrari, 1980; Konopliv et al., 1993; Lemoine et al., 1997). Because direct radio communication is interrupted while spacecraft is orbiting behind the Moon, however, the coverage of tracking data has been limited mostly to the nearside of the Moon so far. In order to compensate for such lack of tracking data, we propose satellite-to-satellite Doppler measurement by using a relay subsatellite in Japanese mission to the Moon in 2003. A complete coverage of Doppler tracking from an orbiter at sufficiently low altitude will significantly improve lunar gravity model and will contribute for future geophysical study of interior and tectonics on the Moon. Further, we propose differential VLBI experiment between the subsatellite and a propulsion module landed on the surface of the Moon. The differential VLBI is about 10 times more accurate than conventional Doppler measurement for long-wavelength gravity field. Besides, differential VLBI is sensitive to the displacement perpendicular to the line of sight. Thus the VLBI experiment provides precise estimates of the lunar gravity potential at low degree. The last proposal for selenodetic experiments is a laser altimeter. Global topography model has been already developed from the analysis of Clementine LIDAR data (Zuber et al., 1994), but it is suggested that the model includes appreciable anisotropy between NS and E-W directions due to highly eccentric orbit of Clementine spacecraft (Bills and Lemoine, 1995). The laser altimeter experiment from an orbiter in nearly circular orbit will provide a new reference for the isotropic lunar topography model.     

精密GPS卫星钟差的改正和应用

分析了GPS卫生钟差的变化特性，探讨了利用GPS地面跟踪站的观测数据估算GPS卫星钟差的可行性，建立了相应的算法和软件系统，并把由地面跟踪站的实测数据估算的卫星钟差用于星载GPS定轨计算，得到优于1m的定轨精度。     

Satellite ocean colour algorithm for Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, and picoeukaryotes concentration retrieval in the South China Sea

An algorithm for retrieval of surface waters cell concentrations (in cell/ml) for three picophytoplankton components, Prochlorococcus (Pro), Synechococcus (Syn), and picoeukaryotes (Peuk) in the South China Sea (SCS), from ocean colour satellite data was developed and tested. Level 3 merged multisensor Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative satellite data is used. Training is performed using in situ data on abundances of the three phytoplankton components. Several predictors derived from satellite reflectance data were tested. The regression form that assures the highest accuracy of the algorithm was chosen based on cross-validation (CV). According to the CV on test data subset, the algorithm performance is characterized by the r value 0.89, 0.72, and 0.73 and MAPD 38, 71 and 51% for Peuk, Pro, and Syn respectively. This is one of the few studies aimed at the Peuk, Pro, and Syn distribution research in the northern SCS using ocean colour satellite data. This is the only research providing algorithm with accuracy estimates of the Peuk, Pro, and Syn concentrations retrieval from the ocean colour data. Analysis of the developed algorithm allows us to conclude that both mechanisms (specific spectral features caused by pigments composition and spectrum features sensitive to general primary productivity, e.g. band ratios in 443–510?nm range and spectrum absolute values) are important for getting accurate information on the picophytoplankton composition.     

Calibration of Envisat radar altimeter over Lake Issykkul

This study presents the results of calibration/validation (C/V) of Envisat satellite radar altimeter over Lake Issykkul located in Kyrgyzstan, which was chosen as a dedicated radar altimetry C/V site in 2004. The objectives are to estimate the absolute altimeter bias of Envisat and its orbit based on cross-over analysis with TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P), Jason-1 and Jason-2 over the ocean. We have used a new method of GPS data processing in a kinematic mode, developed at the Groupe de Recherche de Geodesie Spatiale (GRGS), which allows us to calculate the position of the GPS antenna without needing a GPS reference station. The C/V is conducted using various equipments: a local GPS network, a moving GPS antenna along the satellites tracks over Lake Issykkul, In Situ level gauges and weather stations. The absolute bias obtained for Envisat from field campaigns conducted in 2009 and 2010 is between 62.1 and 63.4 ± 3.7 cm, using the Ice-1 retracking algorithm, and between 46.9 and 51.2 cm with the ocean retracking algorithm. These results differ by about 10 cm from previous studies, principally due to improvement of the C/V procedure. Apart from the new algorithm for GPS data processing and the orbit error reduction, more attention has been paid to the GPS antenna height calculation, and we have reduced the errors induced by seiche over Lake Issykkul. This has been assured using cruise data along the Envisat satellite track at the exact date of the pass of the satellite for the two campaigns. The calculation of the Envisat radar altimeter bias with respect to the GPS levelling is essential to allow the continuity of multi-mission data on the same orbit, with the expected launch of SARAL/Altika mission in 2012. Implications for hydrology in particular, will be to produce long term homogeneous and reliable time series of lake levels worldwide.     

Generation of satellite tracking profile: Problems and validation algorithms

Recently, as a satellite mission becomes complicated, it has been required to generate the schedule of satellite antenna movements automatically without relying upon operator’s ad hoc knowledge. To generate the satellite antenna schedule autonomously, this paper first addresses geometrical problems associated with the antenna scheduling and mission planning problems that can be formulated from satellite navigation and antenna orientation information. Then, based on the solutions of the geometrical problems, a set of antenna azimuth and elevation angles that enables the antenna to point towards the desired ground station is obtained systematically. Using the computed azimuth and elevation angles, the satellite tracking profile (TP) is generated, and to validate it, TP validation algorithms are developed.