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The Accuracy Assessment of Precise Orbits Computed from Doppler Tracking Data

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Abstract

The use of the Guier-plane navigation solution in the accuracy assessment of precise orbits computed from doppler tracking data is investigated. Observation residuals obtained from the DORIS doppler tracking of TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) are used to compute high elevation pass (HEP) slant-range errors that approximate the radial orbit error. The HEP slant-range errors are compared to the estimated radial orbit error for the T/P orbit, which is determined using external validation tests. The DORIS HEP errors for T/P are also compared to those obtained from the DORIS tracking of SPOT-2. It is shown that the Guier-plane navigation errors for T/P are larger than those for SPOT-2, which contradicts the fact that T/P is known to have a radial orbit error three times smaller than that of SPOT-2. To understand this result, orbit simulations are performed to obtain observation residuals with known sources of force and measurement model error. The HEP slant-range errors obtained from the simulated residuals demonstrate that the Guier-plane navigation solution can sense orbit error due to mismodeled dynamics, but that measurement errors lead to pessimistic estimates of the orbit error. It is concluded that given the current noise level of the DORIS tracking system, the HEP slant-range errors provide little quantitative information when the orbit error is below the decimeter level. Such a conclusion provides a strong impetus to include additional tracking systems on future oceanographic satellites where DORIS is the primary tracking system and where validation of centimeter-level radial orbit accuracy is required.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Greenbelt, MD, USA

    George W. Davis (Senior Principal Engineer) & Byron D. Tapley (Professor and Director)

  2. Research Scientist, Center for Space Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    John C. Ries

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  1. George W. Davis
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  2. John C. Ries
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  3. Byron D. Tapley
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Davis, G.W., Ries, J.C. & Tapley, B.D. The Accuracy Assessment of Precise Orbits Computed from Doppler Tracking Data. J of Astronaut Sci 45, 451–469 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03546402

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