AEROSPACE CHINA

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China Aerospace Academy of Systems Science and Engineering

ISSN 1671-0940

CN 11-4673/V

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AEROSPACE CHINA ›› 2020, Vol. 21 ›› Issue (4): 31-41.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1671-0940.2020.04.004

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Overview of Satellite Laser Ranging for BeiDou Navigation Satellite System

  

  1. 1 Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, CAS, Shanghai 200030
    2 Key Laboratory of Space Object and Debris Observation, CAS, Nanjing 210008
    3 Beijing Satellite Navigation Center, Beijing 100094
    4 Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory, CAS, Urumqi 830011
  • Online:2021-02-07 Published:2021-02-08
  • About author:ZHANG Haifeng (1981- ), graduated from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences with a Master degree. He is mainly engaged in the research on technology of satellite laser ranging and applications.

Abstract: Satellite laser ranging (SLR) is an unambiguous measurement technique and generates high accuracy satellite orbit data. All satellites in the BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS) carried laser retro-reflector arrays (LRAs), so they can be tracked by ground SLR stations in order to provide the accurate observation data. The Shanghai astronomical observatory (SHAO) designed the LRAs, and also developed the dedicated SLR systems using a 1 m-aperture telescope and a transportable cabin-based SLR system with a telescopes of 60 cm aperture. These enable BDS satellite ranging during daytime and nighttime with centimeter-level precision, allowing highly accurate estimations of satellite orbits. Moreover, some of the BDS satellites are also equipped with laser time transfer (LTT) payloads, which were developed by the SHAO and China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), providing a highly accurate time comparison between the satellites and ground clocks. This paper describes the dedicated SLR system and the design of the LRAs for BDS satellites, as well as global SLR measurements. The SLR tracking data is used for evaluating the orbit accuracy of BDS satellites and broadcast ephemeris, with an accuracy of less than 1 m. The LTT measurements to BDS satellites for a single shot have a precision of approximately 300 picoseconds, with a time stability of 20 picoseconds in 500 s.