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Multi-GNSS orbit combination at Wuhan University: strategy and preliminary products

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Abstract

Multi-GNSS orbits from the analysis centres (ACs) of the multi-GNSS Pilot Project of the International GNSS Service (IGS) are combined at Wuhan University after aligning individual orbits to the IGS reference frame realized by the operational combined GPS orbits and assigning robust weights for each constellation. The consistency between combined orbit and individual AC solutions is assessed using the weighted root mean square of the orbit residuals over 2 years. In general, orbit comparison between the combined and AC solutions shows that the GPS orbits achieve the best consistency, followed by Galileo and GLONASS, BeiDou-2 and QZSS containing IGSO and GEO satellites, obtaining the largest scatter of orbit residuals. Moreover, the impacts of the change in processing strategies for individual ACs during precise orbit determination are also investigated in terms of constellation-specific transformation parameters. The obvious bias of scale and equatorial translation parameters derived from orbit comparison is identified, which may be related to the inclusion of more satellites and the updated phase centre offset (PCO). The updating of orbit models also shifts the orbit scale. The accuracy of the combined orbits is evaluated with satellite laser ranging (SLR) observations, and the root mean square of 2.3 cm, 3.6 cm, 5.0 cm and 2.9 cm is achieved for the Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou-2 IGSO and BeiDou-2 MEO satellites during non-eclipse season, respectively, and it is at the decimetre level for the QZSS IGSO satellites. However, there are systematic sun elongation angle-dependent patterns in the SLR residuals for those satellites, which are mainly due to the noncubic shape of the satellites and partly generated by not modelling the thermal radiation pressure. Hence, refined orbit models are suggested to be adopted by ACs for multi-GNSS analysis.

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Data availability

The SLR observations used for this study can be freely downloaded from the Crustal Dynamics Data Information System servers, i.e. ftp://ftp.cddis.eosdis.nasa.gov/slr/data/npt_crd. The Multi-GNSS orbits of all MGEX ACs can also be freely downloaded from three data centres, i.e. Institut Géographique National (IGN) on ftp://igs.ign.fr/pub/igs/products/mgex, WHU on ftp://igs.gnsswhu.cn/pub/gps/products/mgex and CDDIS on ftp://ftp.cddis.eosdis.nasa.gov/gps/products/mgex. The combined Multi-GNSS orbit solutions can be download from WHU data centre at ftp://igs.gnsswhu.cn/pub/whu/MGEX.

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Acknowledgements

The IGS MGEX and its analysis centres are greatly acknowledged for providing the Multi-GNSS products. We also thank the ILRS for providing laser ranging observations. This work was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (nos. 41974035, 42030109, 42204019), the Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by CAST (no. 2018QNRC001) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (no. 2042021kf0064, 2042021kf0065).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. GNSS Research Center, Wuhan University, No. 129 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430079, China

    Guo Chen, Jing Guo, Tao Geng & Qile Zhao

  2. Collaborative Innovation Center of Geospatial Technology, Wuhan University, No. 129 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430079, China

    Qile Zhao

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  1. Guo Chen
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  2. Jing Guo
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  3. Tao Geng
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All the authors contributed to the design of the study. GC and QZ came up with the idea of the study. GC carried out the experiments and drafted the manuscript, and JG revised the manuscript. All the authors participated in the experimental analysis, read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jing Guo.

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Chen, G., Guo, J., Geng, T. et al. Multi-GNSS orbit combination at Wuhan University: strategy and preliminary products. J Geod 97, 41 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00190-023-01732-2

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