Modernizing and expanding the NASA Space Geodesy Network to meet future geodetic requirements

Merkowitz, S. M.; Bolotin, S.; Elosegui, P.; Esper, J.; Gipson, J.; Hilliard, L.; Himwich, E.; Hoffman, E. D.; Lakins, D. D.; Lamb, R. C.; Lemoine, F. G.; Long, J. L.; McGarry, J. F.; MacMillan, D. S.; Michael, B. P.; Noll, C.; Pavlis, E. C.; Pearlman, M. R.; Ruszczyk, C.; Shappirio, M. D.; Stowers, D. A.

doi:10.1007/s00190-018-1204-5

Original Article
Published: 06 October 2018

Modernizing and expanding the NASA Space Geodesy Network to meet future geodetic requirements

S. M. Merkowitz ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0412-4209¹,
S. Bolotin²,
P. Elosegui³,
J. Esper¹,
J. Gipson²,
L. Hilliard¹,
E. Himwich²,
E. D. Hoffman¹,
D. D. Lakins¹,
R. C. Lamb¹,
F. G. Lemoine¹,
J. L. Long¹,
J. F. McGarry¹,
D. S. MacMillan²,
B. P. Michael¹,
C. Noll¹,
E. C. Pavlis⁴,
M. R. Pearlman⁵,
C. Ruszczyk³,
M. D. Shappirio¹ &
D. A. Stowers⁶

Journal of Geodesy volume 93, pages 2263–2273 (2019)Cite this article

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Abstract

NASA maintains and operates a global network of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR), and Global Navigation Satellite System ground stations as part of the NASA Space Geodesy Program. The NASA Space Geodesy Network (NSGN) provides the geodetic products that support Earth observations and the related science requirements as outlined by the US National Research Council (NRC in Precise geodetic infrastructure: national requirements for a shared resource, National Academies Press, Washington, 2010. http://nap.edu/12954, Thriving on our changing planet: a decadal strategy for Earth observation from space, National Academies Press, Washington, 2018. http://nap.edu/24938). The Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) and the NRC have set an ambitious goal of improving the Terrestrial Reference Frame to have an accuracy of 1 mm and stability of 0.1 mm per year, an order of magnitude beyond current capabilities. NASA and its partners within GGOS are addressing this challenge by planning and implementing modern geodetic stations colocated at existing and new sites around the world. In 2013, NASA demonstrated the performance of its next-generation systems at the prototype next-generation core site at NASA’s Goddard Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory in Greenbelt, Maryland. Implementation of a new broadband VLBI station in Hawaii was completed in 2016. NASA is currently implementing new VLBI and SLR stations in Texas and is planning the replacement of its other aging domestic and international legacy stations. In this article, we describe critical gaps in the current global network and discuss how the new NSGN will expand the global geodetic coverage and ultimately improve the geodetic products. We also describe the characteristics of a modern NSGN site and the capabilities of the next-generation NASA SLR and VLBI systems. Finally, we outline the plans for efficiently operating the NSGN by centralizing and automating the operations of the new geodetic stations.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the broader SGP team at the MIT Haystack Observatory, NVI Inc., KBRwyle, Peraton, SigmaSpace, and Cybioms for their support of the NSGN development. In particular, we thank John Barrett, Roger Cappallo, Brian Corey, Chris Eckert, Arthur Niell, Ganesh Rajagopalan, and Mike Titus for helping make the VGOS development a success.

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Affiliations

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
S. M. Merkowitz, J. Esper, L. Hilliard, E. D. Hoffman, D. D. Lakins, R. C. Lamb, F. G. Lemoine, J. L. Long, J. F. McGarry, B. P. Michael, C. Noll & M. D. Shappirio
NVI Inc, Greenbelt, MD, USA
S. Bolotin, J. Gipson, E. Himwich & D. S. MacMillan
MIT Haystack Observatory, Westford, MA, USA
P. Elosegui & C. Ruszczyk
University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
E. C. Pavlis
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA, USA
M. R. Pearlman
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
D. A. Stowers

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S. M. Merkowitz
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S. Bolotin
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P. Elosegui
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J. Esper
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J. Gipson
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L. Hilliard
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E. Himwich
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E. D. Hoffman
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D. D. Lakins
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R. C. Lamb
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F. G. Lemoine
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J. L. Long
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J. F. McGarry
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D. S. MacMillan
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B. P. Michael
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C. Noll
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E. C. Pavlis
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M. R. Pearlman
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C. Ruszczyk
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M. D. Shappirio
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D. A. Stowers
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Correspondence to S. M. Merkowitz.

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Merkowitz, S.M., Bolotin, S., Elosegui, P. et al. Modernizing and expanding the NASA Space Geodesy Network to meet future geodetic requirements. J Geod 93, 2263–2273 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00190-018-1204-5

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Received: 17 July 2018
Accepted: 20 September 2018
Published: 06 October 2018
Issue Date: November 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00190-018-1204-5

Keywords

Space Geodesy
Terrestrial Reference Frame
ITRF
VLBI
SLR
GNSS
DORIS