Spectral response of Experimental Geodetic Satellite determined from high repetition rate SLR data

The design of the retroreflector array (RRA) of the fast spinning Experimental Geodetic Satellite (Ajisai) allows to determine orientation of its spin axis by means of frequency analysis. Moving spectral analysis (MSA) of the simulated Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) data gives information about frequencies which can be obtained for the whole range of the incident angle between the laser beam vector and the spin axis of the spacecraft. This frequency signal changes as the incident laser beam crosses consecutive rings of the RRA.     

一种用于电离层TEC监测的GNSS信号载波跟踪算法

全球卫星导航系统（GNSS）是电离层TEC监测中应用最普遍的手段. 目前方法通常是在传统导航用途的GNSS接收机输出的原始观测量基础上,经过数据后处理得到电离层TEC信息,其GNSS信号的跟踪处理算法依然采用GNSS导航接收机的算法. 针对GNSS系统用于电离层TEC监测的特殊性,提出一种称为GNSS双频信号和差联合跟踪的新算法,与传统方法相比,该算法直接跟踪电离层TEC的变化,可以提高电离层TEC跟踪的灵敏度和TEC的观测精度,改善电离层TEC监测性能.      

GNSS遥感探测卫星星座设计

随着全球导航卫星系统（Global Navigation Satellite System,GNSS）掩星大气探测技术的兴起,GNSS遥感探测数据在气象数据资源中逐步占据重要地位,但是目前的掩星探测数量远不能满足数值天气预报等应用的需求,未来更需要充分利用GNSS信号资源,开展更大规模的GNSS掩星卫星星座探测.本文以世界气象组织发布的大气海洋数据需求为参考,提出新一代GNSS遥感探测星座任务需求与设计约束.在理想大气模型假设下,利用几何解析方法研究了探测卫星星座构型参数对探测性能的影响,并建立了新一代GNSS遥感探测卫星星座设计基本准则.以风云卫星为子星座,给出了星座规模同为40颗的三种GNSS遥感探测微纳卫星星座设计方案.研究结果表明,具备该规模的探测星座可满足数值天气预报等气象应用的最低数据需求,三种构型方案中,由高、中、低倾角三组Walker子星座与风云卫星子星座组建的GNSS遥感探测星座探测性能最优.      

一种适用于高轨空间的GNSS矢量跟踪方案设计

高轨空间中全球卫星导航系统（GNSS）信号可用性严重变差，对GNSS接收机的跟踪性能提出更高要求。利用GNSS信号传播链路模型分析了高轨空间GNSS信号特点，对比了标量跟踪和矢量跟踪这2类典型跟踪环路在高轨空间的适用性，进而设计了一种适用于高轨空间的GNSS矢量跟踪方案。该方案通过估计载噪比确定量测噪声方差阵，以对各通道量测信息进行加权处理来获得高精度的导航参数；并根据高轨航天器的动态性能确定过程噪声方差阵，利用轨道动力学模型对导航参数进行一步预测，从而实现了对各通道信号跟踪参数的准确预测及联合跟踪。仿真验证表明:所设计的跟踪方案可实现高轨空间中强信号对弱信号的辅助跟踪，从而提高了高轨空间中弱信号的跟踪性能及可用性，并对中断信号具有一定的桥接能力。      

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.     

Comparison of GPS S/C orbits determined from GPS and SLR tracking data

The last two Global Positioning System (GPS) spacecraft launched on August 30, 1993 and March 10, 1994 carried identical laser retroreflector arrays that allow laser ranging from ground stations. Tracking of these targets is a low priority for most of the ground stations due to the present mandatory support of missions with no alternative tracking. The available data is sparse and concentrated primarily on the first of the two spacecraft, GPS-35 (PRN 5). Despite this, analysis of this data set indicates that there is great potential for engineering and scientific experiments in a synergistic application of Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) and radiometric GPS techniques.     

Optical response of nanosatellite BLITS measured by the Graz 2 kHz SLR system

The nanosatellite BLITS (Ball Lens In The Space) is the first object designed as a passive, spherical retroreflector of the Luneburg type, dedicated for Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR). The optical response of BLITS has been measured by the Graz 2 kHz SLR station and compared with the response of the classical retroreflector arrays (RRA) of the Low Earth Orbiting satellites such as ERS-2 and Stella. This work demonstrates that the optical response of BLITS is flat and featureless, comparable with the signature of a point-source or a flat target, and suggests that this innovative design will deliver a higher normal point (NP) accuracy (2.55 mm) than any other SLR target currently in orbit. The high reflectivity of the glassy BLITS (about 60% of the return rate from the multi-reflector Stella) is found to be decreasing by about 30% per year, probably due to the solar irradiation. Detailed analysis of the reflective half-shell demonstrates that a high return rate of SLR measurements can be achieved regardless of the incident angle of the laser beam, thus making the spherical lens a perfect successor of the classical RRA panels mounted on active satellites such as CHAMP, GOCE and GRACE.     

Autonomous broadcast ephemeris improvement for GNSS using inter-satellite ranging measurements

This paper discusses the concept of using inter-satellite ranging (ISR) measurements of the satellites of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) for autonomous broadcast ephemeris improvement. Firstly the inter-satellite ranging is modeled to obtain the clock and orbit error observables. The orbit error observable is analyzed and its observation equation is provided. Both least-squares estimation and Kalman Filter approach are proposed to estimate satellite clock errors, while solely the Kalman Filter is used to estimate the orbit errors. All these algorithms are validated using true broadcast ephemeris and precise ephemeris of GPS along with the simulated ranging noise. Based on the settings adopted in the test, the result shows that the orbit accuracy of the precise ephemeris using the proposed method is around 20–50 cm and the accuracy of the satellite clock can reach 20 cm while ranging noise is assumed to be 0.45 m (1σ). The User Ranging Error (URE) is improved from 1.05 m to 0.34 m, which is comparable to other sources of precise ephemeris or even better, while the proposed approach has many advantages such as compatibility and accessibility. It is also noted that the proposed method may provide useful functions in determining inter-constellation coordinate and time differences autonomously for better interoperability and interchangeability in the multi GNSS operation era.     

Simulation of optical response of retroreflectors for future lunar laser ranging

We numerically examined various retroreflectors as laser ranging targets for future missions to the Moon. The geometric conditions, such as the angle of incidence and velocity aberration, with lunar targets are much more restricted than those with most of the earth-orbiting artificial satellites. The numerical optical response simulation carried out in this study indicates that a single retroreflector with a diameter of 150–250 mm performs similar to the existing Apollo retroreflector arrays. Further, no dihedral angle is required for small retroreflectors with diameters below 150 mm for uncoated ones and below 100 mm for coated and hollow ones. Retroreflectors with larger diameters require dihedral angles of 0.20, 0.25, and 0.35 arcsec for coated, uncoated and hollow types, respectively. The objective of this fundamental study is to underlie the development of future laser ranging targets that are to be placed on the Moon.     

The ionosphere,radio navigation,and global navigation satellite systems

This article is a review of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) for space scientists who are interested in how GNSS signals and observables can be used to understand ionospheric dynamics and, conversely, how ionospheric dynamics affect the operational capabilities of GNSS receivers. The most common form of GNSS is the Global Positioning System (GPS); we will first review its operating principles and then present a discussion of errors, of which ionospheric propagation is the most significant. Methods and systems for mitigating errors will be introduced, along with a discussion of modernization plans for GPS and for entirely new systems such as Galileo. In the second half of this article the effects of the ionosphere on GPS signals will be examined in more detail, particularly ionospheric propagation, leading to a discussion of the relation of TEC to ranging errors. Next, the subject of scintillations will also be introduced and connected to the presence and scale sizes of irregularities. Scintillations will be examined as spatial and temporal structures. The method of measuring scintillation pattern drift and ionospheric velocity will be discussed. We conclude by examining ionospheric effects on GPS at midlatitudes.     

GNSS Satellite Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (SAIM) using inter-satellite measurements

Integrity is the ability of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) to detect faults in measurements and provide timely warnings to users and operators when the navigation system cannot meet the defined performance standards, which is of great importance for safety of life critical applications. Compared with both Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM) and ground based GNSS Integrity Channel (GIC) methods which are widely adopted nowadays, the Satellite Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (SAIM) method can be used to monitor orbit/ephemeris and clock errors, and has advantages in monitoring orbit and clock quality and providing instantaneous responses when faults happen.     

Using the Global Navigation Satellite System and satellite altimetry for combined Global Ionosphere Maps

For deriving global maps of the Total Electron Content (TEC) from space geodetic techniques usually observations from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) are taken. However, the GNSS stations are inhomogeneously distributed, with large gaps particularly over the sea surface.     

新型GNSS信号波形设计

在发射带宽严格受限的约束下连续函数波形信号较传统矩形波形表现出了较高的频谱利用率优势和优良性能,很有可能应用到未来的全球卫星导航系统(GNSS,Global Navigation Satellite System)信号体制中.在建立导航信号波形设计准则的理论模型基础上,研究了7种可能适用于未来GNSS系统的新型信号波形,在典型的宽/窄发射带宽条件下,通过仿真评估了传统GNSS信号和新型GNSS信号的精度、抗多径、抗干扰等性能,优选出BOCc和MSK两种适用于不同环境的信号波形: 在频谱资源充足的情况下,BOCc信号具有最优的导航性能;在频率资源受限的情况下,MSK信号兼容性好,抗干扰能力强,拥有较好的导航性能.最后,结合两类信号波形的优缺点提出了我国新一代卫星导航系统信号波形设计的建议.     

Exploration and analysis of the factors influencing GNSS PWV for nowcasting applications

Precipitable water vapor (PWV) can be assimilated into a numerical weather model (NWM) to improve the prediction accuracy of numerical weather prediction. In this study, taking GNSS data for the Beijing Fangshan station (BJFS) as an example, based on the method of Pearson correlation coefficient combined with quantitative analysis, GNSS datasets are used to study the relationships between GNSS-derived PWV (GNSS PWV__Met) and its influencing factors, including the internal influencing factors zenith troposphere delay (ZTD), zenith hydrostatic delay (ZHD), zenith wet delay (ZWD), and surface temperature (T_s), and the external influencing factor haze (mainly PM_2.5). Firstly, based on the strong correlation between PWV__Met and ZTD hourly sequences from the International GNSS Service Network’s BJFS station for DOYS 182–212, 2015, the results of experiment prove that the reliability of GNSS ZTD is used to forecast PWV_Met in short-term forecasting. Secondly, based on hourly data of BJFS in 2016, the correlation between PWV__Met and ZTD, ZWD, ZHD, pressure (P) and T_s is analyzed, and then, with the rate of ZTD variation as the main factor, ZTD variation as auxiliary factor, the prediction success rate is 88.24% from hourly data of precipitation event for DOYs 183–213 in Beijing. The experiment indicates that ZTD can help forecast short-term precipitation. Thirdly, based on data from three hazy periods with relatively stable weather conditions, no heavy rainfall, and relatively continuous data in the past three years, the correlation between GNSS PWV_Met/ZTD and PM_2.5 hourly series is analyzed. The results of the experiments suggests that GNSS ZTD should be considered to assist in haze monitoring. So in the absence of radiosonde stations and meteorological elements, ZTDs on retrieval of GNSS stations have more application value in short-term forecast.     

An optimized strategy for inter-satellite links assignments in GNSS

Inter-Satellite Links (ISLs) can effectively enhance the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) performance, such as communication and ranging performance. These performances would have been improved by disposing sparsely of ground stations and ISLs. Here, we demonstrate a topology scheduling strategy based on Signed Variance and Blossom algorithm (SV-Blossom) to promote the topology performance of GNSS. We also analyze the effect of this strategy on the robustness of the ranging information quality of the ISLs assignments system. For the domestic and overseas satellite communication Time Delay (TD) and Position Dilution of Precision (PDOP), by analyzing the relation of satellites, a set of the ISLs cost models is established, and the cost matrix is obtained. The final ISLs assignments result is obtained by processing the link cost matrix with the Blossom algorithm in the graph theory. In order to verify the rationality of the SV-Blossom strategy, a typical BDS-3 simulation scene with 10080 min is built to test these performances of ISLs. The final results show that the ranging information quality of the SV-Blossom strategy is greatly improved compared with recently published strategies, and the proposed links assignments mechanism has good robustness.     

风云三号C星GNOS北斗掩星电离层探测初步结果

利用风云三号卫星C星GNOS掩星探测仪电离层数据,分析了2013年10月FY-3C GNOS探测的北斗掩星电离层廓线分布,将2013年10月1日至2015年10月10日期间FY-3C GNOS观测的F₂层峰值电子密度（N_mF₂）与地面电离层测高仪观测结果进行对比,验证了FY-3C GNOS北斗电离层掩星的探测精度.结果表明,FY3-C GNOS北斗电离层掩星与电离层测高仪探测的N_mF₂数据相关系数为0.96,平均偏差为10.21%,标准差为19.61%.在不同情况下其数据精度有如下特征:白天精度高于夜晚;夏季精度高于分季,分季精度高于冬季;中纬地区精度高于低纬地区,低纬地区精度高于高纬地区; BDS倾斜同步轨道（IGSO）卫星精度高于同步轨道（GEO）卫星和中轨道（MEO）卫星.FY-3C GNOS北斗电离层掩星与国际上其他掩星电离层数据精度的一致性对GNSS掩星探测资料的综合利用具有重大意义.      

Ionosphere modelling for Galileo single frequency users: Illustration of the combination of the NeQuick model and GNSS data ingestion

The ionospheric effect remains one of the main factors limiting the accuracy of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) including Galileo. For single frequency users, this contribution to the error budget will be mitigated by an algorithm based on the NeQuick global ionospheric model. This quick-run empirical model provides flexible solutions for combining ionospheric information obtained from various sources, from GNSS to ionosondes and topside sounders. Hence it constitutes an interesting simulation tool not only serving Galileo needs for mitigation of the ionospheric effect but also widening the use of new data.     

一种自适应GNSS弱信号载噪比估计方法

全球导航卫星系统（GNSS）信号的载噪比（CNR）是衡量接收机工作性能的一个重要参数。为了准确得到载噪比估计值,推导并分析了2种常用的GNSS信号载噪比估计方法（方差求和法（VSM）、窄带宽带功率比值法（PRM））,并同时提出一种基于渐消因子容积卡尔曼滤波的自适应载噪比估计方法,比较了3种方法在通常的信号环境下和弱信号环境下的载噪比估计能力。结果显示:在信号较弱环境或信号受到遮挡产生突变等情况时,VSM方法与PRM方法均会产生较大的误差,而自适应载噪比估计方法能准确估计出信号的载噪比。      

GNSS reflectometry and remote sensing: New objectives and results

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has been a very powerful and important contributor to all scientific questions related to precise positioning on Earth’s surface, particularly as a mature technique in geodesy and geosciences. With the development of GNSS as a satellite microwave (L-band) technique, more and wider applications and new potentials are explored and utilized. The versatile and available GNSS signals can image the Earth’s surface environments as a new, highly precise, continuous, all-weather and near-real-time remote sensing tool. The refracted signals from GNSS radio occultation satellites together with ground GNSS observations can provide the high-resolution tropospheric water vapor, temperature and pressure, tropopause parameters and ionospheric total electron content (TEC) and electron density profile as well. The GNSS reflected signals from the ocean and land surface could determine the ocean height, wind speed and wind direction of ocean surface, soil moisture, ice and snow thickness. In this paper, GNSS remote sensing applications in the atmosphere, oceans, land and hydrology are presented as well as new objectives and results discussed.     

The adjusted optical properties for Galileo/BeiDou-2/QZS-1 satellites and initial results on BeiDou-3e and QZS-2 satellites

Solar Radiation Pressure (SRP) is the dominant non-gravitational perturbation for GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellites. In the absence of precise surface models, the Empirical CODE Orbit Models (ECOM, ECOM2) are widely used in GNSS satellite orbit determination. Based on previous studies, the use of an a priori box-wing model enhances the ECOM model, especially if the spacecraft is a stretched body satellite. However, so far not all the GNSS system providers have published their metadata. To ensure a precise use of the a priori box-wing model, we estimate the optical parameters of all the Galileo, BeiDou-2, and QZS-1 (Quasi Zenith Satellite System) satellites based on the physical processes from SRP to acceleration. Validation using orbit prediction proves that the adjusted parameters of Galileo and QZS-1 satellites exhibit almost the same performance as the corresponding published and “best guess” values. Whereas, the estimated parameters of BeiDou-2 satellites demonstrate an improvement of more than 60% over the initial “guess” values. The resulting optical parameters of all the satellites are introduced into an a priori box-wing model, which is jointly used with ECOM and ECOM2 model in the orbit determination. Results show that the pure ECOM2 model exhibits better performance than the pure ECOM model for Galileo, BeiDou-2 GEO and QZS-1 orbits. Combined with the a priori box-wing model the ECOM model (ECOM+BW) results in the best Galileo, BeiDou-2 GEO and QZS-1 orbits. The standard deviation (STD) of satellite laser ranging residuals reduce by about 20% and 5% with respect to the pure ECOM2 model for Galileo and BeiDou-2 GEO orbits, while the reductions are about 40% and 60% for QZS-1 orbits in yaw-steering and orbit-normal mode respectively. BeiDou-2 IGSO and MEO satellite orbits do not benefit much from the a priori box-wing model. In summary, we suggest setting up a unified SRP model of ECOM+BW for Galileo, QZS-1, and BeiDou-2 orbits based on the adjusted metadata. In addition, we estimate the optical parameters of BeiDou-3e and QZS-2 satellites using a limited number of tracking stations. Results regarding the unified SRP model indicate the same advantages, the STD of satellite laser ranging residuals reduces by about 30% and 20% for QZS-2 and BeiDou-3e orbits respectively over orbit products without a priori model. The estimation procedure is effective and easy to apply to the new emerging satellites in the future.