Design and performances of laser retro-reflector arrays for Beidou navigation satellites and SLR observations

Beidou is the regional satellite navigation system in China, consisting of three kinds of orbiting satellites, MEO, GEO and IGSO, with the orbital altitudes of 21500–36000 km. For improving the accuracy of satellites orbit determination, calibrating microwave measuring techniques and providing better navigation service, all Beidou satellites are equipped with laser retro-reflector arrays (LRAs) to implement high precision laser ranging. The paper presents the design of LRAs for Beidou navigation satellites and the method of inclined installation of LRAs for GEO satellites to increase the effective reflective areas for the regional ground stations. By using the SLR system, the observations for Beidou satellites demonstrated a precision of centimeters. The performances of these LRAs on Beidou satellites are very excellent.     

Laser time transfer and its application in the Galileo programme

We are presenting the new instrument, new technology available and new measurement technique proposal for the Galileo programme – optical detector for the laser time transfer and one way laser ranging ground to space.     

Estimation of the Love and Shida numbers: h2, l2 using SLR data for the low satellites

In this paper we present results for the global elastic parameters: Love number h₂ and Shida number l₂ derived from the analysis of Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) data. SLR data for the two low satellites STELLA (H = 800 km) and STARLETTE (H = 810 km) observed during 2.5 years from January 3, 2005 until July 1, 2007 with 18 globally distributed ground stations were analyzed. The analysis was done separately for the two satellites. We do a sequential analysis and study the stability and convergence of the estimates as a function of length of the data set used.     

星间DOWRT中的相对论效应分析与修正

推导了双向单程测距与时间同步(DOWRT,Dual One-Way Ranging/Time Synchronization)的解耦方程,分析了空间动态下DOWRT法的计算方法及相对论效应在测距和时间比对中的影响,提出了带有相对论效应修正的DOWRT算法,最后分别仿真分析了低轨编队飞行卫星和导航星座中的距离与时间同步测量中相对论效应引起的误差.结果表明:卫星间采用DOWRT测量方法时,由相对论效应引起的低轨短基线编队飞行卫星间距离测量误差为米级、时间同步误差为亚皮秒级,而在导航星座测量中引起近百米级距离测量误差和高达微秒级的时间同步误差.因此为了实现导航卫星间高精度距离与时间同步测量,必须进行相对论效应修正.