Significant improvements in the Precise Orbit Determination for the Jason series of satellites have been reached over the last three years, materializing with the reprocessing of the complete series of altimeter missions with the last CNES POE-F standards. Both random and systematic POD errors including long-term errors affecting climate studies were addressed, taking into account the different team member areas of expertise.
In particular, our understanding of the processing of the three independent tracking systems has evolved towards an operational GPS integer ambiguity resolution, a better editing and USO modelling for the DORIS measurements, and an elimination on-board/on-ground of the different sources of SLR residual errors (station biases, Laser Retroreflector Array corrections). Because a special attention was paid on the long-term stability of the orbit time series for mean sea level applications on a regional scale, we also focused on the modeling of the temporal variations of the geopotential, especially its long wavelengths, as well as their links to the Terrestrial Reference Frame accuracy/stability through the geocenter motion.