Precision orbit determination performance for CryoSat-2

In this paper we discuss our efforts to perform precision orbit determination (POD) of CryoSat-2 which depends on Doppler and satellite laser ranging tracking data. A dynamic orbit model is set-up and the residuals between the model and the tracking data is evaluated. The average r.m.s. of the 10?s averaged Doppler tracking pass residuals is approximately 0.39?mm/s; and the average of the laser tracking pass residuals becomes 1.42?cm. There are a number of other tests to verify the quality of the orbit solution, we compare our computed orbits against three independent external trajectories provided by the CNES. The CNES products are part of the CryoSat-2 products distributed by ESA. The radial differences of our solution relative to the CNES precision orbits shows an average r.m.s. of 1.25?cm between Jun-2010 and Apr-2017. The SIRAL altimeter crossover difference statistics demonstrate that the quality of our orbit solution is comparable to that of the POE solution computed by the CNES. In this paper we will discuss three important changes in our POD activities that have brought the orbit performance to this level. The improvements concern the way we implement temporal gravity accelerations observed by GRACE; the implementation of ITRF2014 coordinates and velocities for the DORIS beacons and the SLR tracking sites. We also discuss an adjustment of the SLR retroreflector position within the satellite reference frame. An unexpected result is that we find a systematic difference between the median of the 10 s Doppler tracking residuals which displays a statistically significant pattern in the South Atlantic Anomaly (SSA) area where the median of the velocity residuals varies in the range of ?0.15 to +0.15?mm/s.     

Application of satellite observations to study the changes of hypoxic conditions in near-bottom water in the western part of Peter the Great Bay (the Sea of Japan)

In this paper we explore the possibilities of applying satellite ocean colour (OC) observations and SST to study the changes in the conditions of hypoxia in the near-bottom water in the western part of Peter the Great Bay. Near-bottom water hypoxia occurs in water bodies with increased organic matter influx when the dissolved oxygen (DO) consumed at its oxidation is not restored. Consumption of most DO is usually attributed to the oxidation of organic matter formed as a result of increased algae growth during water eutrophication. Satellite data on indicators of phytoplankton (chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl) and fluorescence (FLH)) allow to analyze the spatial-temporal changes of this substation. Coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM), non-algal particles (NAP) influence on satellite Chl estimates and also on near-bottom water hypoxia formation. This study analyzes daily, seasonal, and inter-annual changes in the distributions of indicators (Chl, FLH, the coefficients of light absorption by coloured detrital matter (a_CDM) and light backscattering by suspended particles (b_bp)), based on the instant satellite OC data from MODIS-Aqua. Data on the Chl, the sea surface temperature (SST) from the MODIS-Aqua, the precipitation from the TRMM satellite and the hydrometeorological stations (HMSs), the wind speed and direction from HMS “Vladivostok” are used to study the influence of hydrometeorological conditions on the Chl values. These distributions were compared with the literary information based on field observations of the hypoxia cases in the same area and with the changes in the vertical DO, Chl, temperature, salinity distribution obtained by coastal expeditions in October-November 2010 and February-March 2011. Significant interrelations within 95% confidence level between the satellite Chl, FLH values calculated at the MUMM atmospheric correction and in situ Chl values obtained in the autumn of 2010 were reached separately for the cases with winds of northern and southern directions with the correlation coefficients of 0.71, 0.48 and 0.49, 0.71, respectively. Significant dependences of Chl on SST and Chl on wind speed explained by the influence of continental runoff and water ventilation were obtained. Therefore, the changes of Chl reflect the changes of hypoxic conditions in the near-bottom water. In Amursky Bay the onset of hypoxia was at the Chl and SST values equal to 4 mg m^?3 and 13 °C (↑ – at increasing SST); near Furugelm Island it was at 1.6 mg m^?3 and 25 °C (↑), 1 mg m^?3 and 21 °C (↓). The difference in the Chl values was reflected in the hypoxia onset timings that were the beginning of June (2011), August (2013), and September (2014), respectively. The water flow from the eastern coast of Amursky Bay in early August of 2013 recorded from the OC and SST satellite imagers appeared in an additional hypoxic zone. Decreased OC characteristics in the runoff of the Razdolnaya River in August-September of 2014 were a sign of hypoxia at its mouth. Near Furugelm Island the hypoxia destruction (increase in the DO level from 1 to 4.5 ml L^?1) was observed at the Chl of 0.9 mg m^?3 and SST = 18 °C (↓). At the autumn maximum of Chl equal to 1.7 mg m^?3 and SST = 4 °C (↓) in mid-November the DO level here increased to 8 ml L^?1. In Amursky Bay, short-term destructions/weakening of hypoxia manifested themselves in sharp increases of Chl. At that, the ratio between the Chl value and the approximation level was equal to 2 and higher for SST equal to 22–25 °C (↑), to 0.9 and higher for SST equal to 5–13 °C (↓). With the water stratification destruction in temperature and the noticeable weakening of the stratification in salinity (mid-November), the hypoxia destructed (the DO level increased from 2 to 6 ml L^?1). In this case, Chl and SST were about 3 mg m^?3 and 5 °C (↓).     

Correction model of BDS satellite-induced code bias and its impact on precise point positioning

There are code biases on the pseudo-range observations of the Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) that range in size from several decimeters to larger than one meter. These biases can be divided into two categories, which are the code biases in the pseudo-range observations of Inclined Geo-Synchronous Orbit (IGSO) satellites and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites and the code biases in the pseudo-range observations of Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites. In view of the code bias of the IGSO/MEO satellites, the code bias correction model is established using the weighted least square curve fitting method. After the correction, the code biases of the IGSO and MEO satellites are clearly mitigated. A methodology of correcting GEO code bias is proposed based on the empirical mode decomposition (EMD)-wavelet transform (WT) coupled model. The accuracies of the GEO multipath combination of the B1, B2 and B3 frequencies are improved by 39.9%, 17.9%, and 29.4%, respectively. Based on the corrections above, the ten days observations of three Multi-GNSS Experiment (MGEX) stations are processed. The results indicate that the convergence time of the precise point positioning (PPP) can be improved remarkably by applying a code bias. The mean convergence time can be improved by 14.67% after the IGSO/MEO code bias correction. By applying the GEO code bias, the mean convergence time can be further improved by 17.42%.     

GOCE star tracker attitude quaternion calibration and combination

We analyse the inter-boresight angles (IBA) measured by the star trackers on board the GOCE satellite and find that they exhibit small offsets of 7–9″ with respect to the ones calculated from the rotation of the star tracker reference frames to the satellite reference frame. Further, we find small variations in the offsets with a peak-to-peak amplitude of up to 8″, which correlate with variations of the star trackers’ temperatures. Motivated by these findings, we present a method for combining the attitude quaternions measured by two or more star trackers that includes an estimation of relative attitude offsets between star trackers as a linear function of temperature. The method was used to correct and combine the star tracker attitude quaternions within the reprocessing of GOCE data performed in 2018. We demonstrate that the IBA calculated from the corrected star tracker attitude quaternions show no significant offsets with respect to the reference frame information. Finally, we show that neglecting the star tracker attitude offsets in the processing would result in perturbations in the gravity gradients that are visible at frequencies below 2?mHz and have a magnitude of up to 90?mE. The presented method avoids such perturbations to a large extent.     

脉冲测量雷达卫星标定方法研究

对脉冲测量雷达卫星标定方法的原理和工程应用等问题进行了研究,提出了标定模型和方法,分析了雷达跟踪能力和卫星定轨保障等工程应用问题,并对标定效果进行了仿真验证。     

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.     

Doppler utilised Kalman estimation (DUKE) of ionospheric delay for satellite navigation

The ionospheric delay experienced by the satellite navigation signals depends upon the Total Electron Content (TEC) and needs to be corrected. While the single frequency receivers always use parametric models to correct this delay, dual frequency receivers, when suffers a loss of lock of one of its signal, also has to resort to these models. Here, an alternative method, based on Doppler, surrogated by range rate variation, has been attempted to estimate the ionospheric delay using a Kalman filter. GPS data have been used for all visible satellites over four days selected around the equinox and solstice with nominal geomagnetic conditions and estimations done in continuous and calibrated modes. Results of continuous estimation, obtained for a mid latitude station, showed moderate accuracy while it was significantly better for the calibrated mode with no seasonal dependence. Estimations done for station within the extent of equatorial anomaly, has not only resulted in relative deterioration in performance, but also shown seasonal dependence. Compared with estimates of Klobuchar model, the Calibrated estimation showed superior performance, conspicuously in the mid latitude station. However, for the continuous mode, performance was at par with the model at higher latitudes but inferior to it in regions within the extent of the equatorial anomaly.     

卫星载荷1553B总线数据接口的设计与实现CSCD

卫星载荷总线数据流接口的实现对于卫星载荷数据流的传输体制能否正常工作起着关键性的作用,设计合理的数据流管理方案对于卫星载荷之间的正常通信至关重要。MIL-STD-1553B总线数据传输速率高,实时性好,具有合理的差错控制措施和特有的方式命令,适合星上大数据量的传输任务和特定环境的需求。本文使用龙芯配置卫星载荷1553B总线的工作模式,合理设计载荷数据流的传输形式,实现卫星载荷1553B总线的数据流接口。测试结果表明,数据接口可靠性高,实际应用效果好,满足卫星上的通信设计要求。     

可实时重构的国际C站卫星模拟器

我国自行研制的国际标准C频段统一测控系统,配置了功能齐全的卫星模拟器,但其一星一模拟器的方式已不能适应当前多星管理和未来星座管理的需要。本文旨在探讨利用现有的微波宽带器件技术和软件无线电技术,用一套硬件系统,根据需要实时重构成所需卫星的模拟器,达到多星共用一套模拟器,实现小型化、实时性的目的。     

Accuracy and consistency of different global ionospheric maps released by IGS ionosphere associate analysis centers

Due to the differences of ionospheric modeling methods and selected tracking stations, the accuracy and consistency of Global Ionospheric Maps (GIMs) released by Ionosphere Associate Analysis Centers (IAACs) are different. In this study, we evaluate and analyze in detail the accuracy and consistency of GIMs final products provided by six IAACs from three different aspects. Firstly, the comparison of these GIMs shows that the mean bias (MEAN) is related to the modeling methods of various IAACs. The variation trend of the standard deviation (STD) is consistent with the solar activities, and accompanied by certain seasonal and annual periodic variations. The MEAN between IGS and each center is about −1.3 to 1.0 TECU, and the STD is about 1.4–2.5 TECU. Secondly, the validation with GPS TEC shows that the STD of CODE is the smallest at various latitudes, and the STD is about 0.7–4.5 TECU. Thirdly, The validation with the Jason2 VTEC shows that the STD between Jason2 and IAACs is about 4.4–5.2 TECU. In addition, the STD between Jason2 and six GIMs in the areas with more tracking stations is better than that of the regions with fewer tracking stations in different latitude regions. Regardless of whether the tracking stations are more or less, the MEAN and STD in high solar activity are larger than in low solar activity.