Abstract's details

Analysis of SLR station biases

Sean Bruinsma (CNES, France)

CoAuthors

Reinquin Franck (CNES, France); Alexandre Couhert (CNES, France)

Event: 2015 Ocean Surface Topography Science Team Meeting

Session: Precision Orbit Determination

Presentation type: Type Oral

Contribution: PDF file

Abstract:

Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) data, made available by the International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS), is used to validate and quantify precise orbits of the altimeter satellites. It is essentially the only independent and unambiguous validation method that can provide the absolute radial orbit accuracy. However, the accuracy of the data, even of the core stations, is fluctuating. Unknown errors in the ranging data (the ILRS provides incomplete station error information), which are used in the validation process without bias estimation, directly affect validation results.
The geodetic satellites LAGEOS-1/2 (at 5900 km altitude) and Starlette/Stella (at about 850 km) are used to estimate SLR station biases from 2001 to 2014. All advertized station corrections by the ILRS are applied in this computation. The estimated biases are compared with validation results of the same stations on Jason-1/2 and Cryosat-2 orbits. Finally, a more realistic external validation of the Jason-1/2 and Cryosat-2 orbits is obtained by taking the station biases into account.
 

Oral presentation show times:

Room Start Date End Date
Grand Ballroom 1 Wed, Oct 21 2015,12:20 Wed, Oct 21 2015,12:35
Sean Bruinsma
CNES
France
sean.bruinsma@cnes.fr