GEO ORBIT DETERMINATION VIA COVARIANCE ANALYSIS WITH A KNOWN CLOCK ERROR

Edward M. Carolipio, Nitin K. Pandya, and Mohinder S. Grewal

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	Geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites serve as relays to transmit messages for space-based augmentation systems (SBASs). GEOs can act as ranging sources for SBAS users as well, adding to the availability and continuity of a number of SBAS services. The SBAS determines the GEO orbit error from covariance analysis of satellite dynamics and station-to-satellite geometry. However, separating the orbit determination errors from the clock errors is difficult, and GEO range errors tend to be much larger than GPS range errors. This paper proposes a technique for making the clock state of a “bent-pipe” GEO a known quantity, then considers the effect on the derived GEO range through a simulation of the orbit determination extended Kalman filter. The study indicates that this technique reduces the GEO orbit error by a factor of ~22 and implies that GEO orbit determination errors can be made comparable to those of GPS satellites.
Published in:	NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation, Volume 48, Number 4
Pages:	255 - 260
Cite this article:	Carolipio, Edward M., Pandya, Nitin K., Grewal, Mohinder S., "GEO ORBIT DETERMINATION VIA COVARIANCE ANALYSIS WITH A KNOWN CLOCK ERROR", NAVIGATION: Journal of The Institute of Navigation, Vol. 48, No. 4, Winter 2001-2002, pp. 255-260.
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