Demonstration on the indexes design of gravity satellite orbit parameters in the low-low satellite-to-satellite tracking mode

• Main Authors: Liu Xiaogang, Li Yingchun, Xiao Yun, Pang Zhenxing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2013-02-01
• Series: Geodesy and Geodynamics
• Subjects: low-low satellite-to-satellite tracking (SST-II); satellite orbit height; inter-satellite range; orbit inclination; index design
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674984715300598

Combining with the exigent demand of the development of satellite gravimetry system in China, aiming at the determination of technical indexes of gravity satellite orbit parameters, on the basis of the numerical experiments and results analysis, the design indexes of gravity satellite orbit height, inter-satellite range and the orbit inclination are analyzed and calculated, and the issues towards twin gravity satellites such as coherence requirement of the orbit semi-major axes, control requirement of the pitch angle and time interval requirement to keep twin satellites formation in mobility are discussed. Results show that the satellite orbit height is 400 km to 500 km, the inter-satellite range is about 220 km, the satellite orbit inclination is between polar orbit and sun-synchronous orbit, the semi-major axes difference of twin satellites orbit is within ±70. 146 m, the pitch angle of twin satellites is about 0.9 degree, and the time interval to keep twin satellites formation in mobility is 7 days to 15 days.