Upgraded modelling for the determination of centre of mass corrections of geodetic SLR satellites: impact on key parameters of the terrestrial reference frame

Journal of Geodesy, 2014

2017

Present-day Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) systems are in principle capable of providing ranges with an accuracy and precision approaching the millimetre level. This capability is best utilised if the error budget contributions of the multiple factors affecting the laser observations are minimised and do not exceed the inherent accuracy of the ranging measurements. Centre of mass values (CoM), used to relate the ranges to the satellites to their centre of mass, depend on the characteristics of the target, the detection hardware in use at the tracking stations, the intensity of the returned laser pulses, and the post-processing strategy employed to reduce the observations. Station-, and time-dependent CoM corrections are available for the geodetic targets used by the ILRS for its contribution to the realisation of the ITRF. These values are based on theoretical considerations, empirical determination of the optical response functions of each satellite, and knowledge of the tracking te...

Journal of Geodesy, 2014

Earth, Planets and Space

The number of satellites equipped with retroreflectors dedicated to Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) increases simultaneously with the development and invention of the spherical geodetic satellites, low Earth orbiters (LEOs), Galileo and other components of the Global Navigational Satellite System (GNSS). SLR and GNSS techniques onboard LEO and GNSS satellites create the possibility of widening the use of SLR observations for deriving SLR station coordinates, which up to now have been typically based on spherical geodetic satellites. We determine SLR station coordinates based on integrated SLR observations to LEOs, spherical geodetic, and GNSS satellites orbiting the Earth at different altitudes, from 330 to 26,210 km. The combination of eight LEOs, LAGEOS-1/2, LARES, and 13 Galileo satellites increased the number of 7-day SLR solutions from 10–20% to even 50%. We discuss the issues of handling of range biases in multi-satellite combinations and the proper solution constraining and wei...

Advances in Space Research, 2012

2008

Journal of Geodesy, 2017