Abstract The first European Space Agency Earth explorer core mission GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer) has been launched on March 17, 2009. The 12-channel dual-frequency Global Positioning System receiver delivers 1Hz data and provides the basis for precise orbit determination (POD) on the few cm-level for such a very low orbiting satellite (254.9km). As a member of the European GOCE Gravity Consortium, which is responsible for the GOCE High-level Processing Facility (HPF), the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB) provides the Precise Science Orbit (PSO) product for the GOCE satellite. The mission requirement for 1-dimensional POD accuracy is 2cm. The use of in-flight determined antenna phase center variations (PCVs) is necessary to meet this requirement. The PCVs are determined from 154days of data and the magnitude is up to 3-4cm. The impact of the PCVs on the orbit determination is significant. The cross-track direction benefits most of the PCVs. The improvement is clearly seen in the orbit overlap analysis and in the validation with independent Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) measurements. It is the first time that SLR could validate the cross-track component of a LEO orbit.
Impact of GPS antenna phase center variations on precise orbits of the GOCE satellite
Advances in Space Research ; 47 , 11 ; 1885-1893
2011-01-17
9 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
Impact of GPS antenna phase center variations on precise orbits of the GOCE satellite
Online Contents | 2011
|Characteristics of GOCE orbits based on Satellite Laser Ranging
Elsevier | 2018
|Rapid and precise orbit determination for the GOCE Satellite
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2007
|Precise orbit determination for the GOCE satellite using GPS
Elsevier | 2007
|Precise orbit determination for the GOCE satellite using GPS
Online Contents | 2007
|