Title: A Method to Improve the Accuracy of Low Orbit Satellite Prediction
Abstract: To improve the accuracy of satellite prediction, a method differred from others is adopted: The primary orbit elements are derived from IRV data (predicted 3-dimension coordinate of the satellite and velocity components provided by Europe; coordinate system used rotates with the Earth, while x - axis directs to the longitude zero-point in the Earth). Better orbit elements a、i、Ω、ξ=e sin ω,η=e cos ω and l=M+ω are derived from orbit improvement by multi-pass IRV data or SLR (satellite laser ranging) data.By using these orbit elements as basic variables in numerical integration,it is possible to reduce the degree of the polynomial of the interpolation comparison with 3-dimension coordinate and velocity components. In this method x - axis directs to Mean Equinox, so as to decrease the influence of the error in the predicted correction of universal time UT1-UTC. The usage of up date SLR data can improve the orbit elements of satellites. When prediction, computed order and degree of the Earth's spherical harmonic perturbation are extended to 20×20;the accuracy of computed solar and lunar coordinates is improved to about 2',to further improve computation accuracy of solar and lunar perturbations. The light pressure perturbation, the atmosphere drag perturbation, and the influences of the coordinate system and the polar motion transformation are also taken into account. The improved satellite prediction procedure would be available to the SLR in daytime. This method has been programmed and carried out by microcomputer 486/66 in Shanghai Observatory SLR station. By only 1 manipulafion,it can carry out all computation including initial orbit elements, data procession and filtering, the computations of various perturbations on the satellites, the numerical integration, the orbit improvement, interpolation and the fast computation of the visual topocentric coordinate of the satellites.
Publication Year: 2000
Publication Date: 2000-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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