Next Space-VLBI Mission, VSOP-2, and the Precise Orbit Determination with GNSS Navigation and SLR

Yoshiharu Asaki, Hiroshi Takeuchi, Makoto Yoshikawa

Abstract:	VSOP-2 is a next generation space-VLBI (SVLBI) mission for millimeter-wave VLBI astronomy. The VSOP- 2 mission has a radio telescope satellite, ASTRO-G, as a space segment, which will be launched in JAXA’s fiscal year 2012. The ASTRO-G satellite will be orbiting around the Earth with the apogee and perigee altitudes of 25000 and 1000 km, respectively. In VSOP-2, Precise Orbit Determination (POD) with an accuracy of 10 cm for ASTROG is required to conduct an advanced observation mode of phase referencing. To achieve the POD for such a highly elliptical orbit, two on-board instruments are proposed to be installed on ASTRO-G: one is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver mainly used at lower altitudes, and another is a retroreflector array for Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) at higher altitudes. In this paper, ASTRO-G’s POD plan with the above two instruments are reported. POD simulations indicate that the proposed method is promising, while development of the acceleration model to treat non-gravitational perturbation is essential for the ASTROG’s POD.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 21st International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2008) September 16 - 19, 2008 Savannah International Convention Center Savannah, GA
Pages:	710 - 718
Cite this article:	Asaki, Yoshiharu, Takeuchi, Hiroshi, Yoshikawa, Makoto, "Next Space-VLBI Mission, VSOP-2, and the Precise Orbit Determination with GNSS Navigation and SLR," Proceedings of the 21st International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2008), Savannah, GA, September 2008, pp. 710-718.
Full Paper:	ION Members/Non-Members: 1 Download Credit Sign In