Precise interferometric tracking of the DSCS II geosynchronous orbiter

Abstract

A demonstration of the precise tracking of a geosynchronous orbiter by radio metric techniques based on very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) has been jointly conducted by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Japan's Radio Research Laboratory. Simultaneous observations of a U.S. Air Force communications satellite from tracking stations in California, Australia, and Japan have determined the satellite's position with an accuracy of a few meters. Accuracy claims are based on formal statistics, which include the effects of errors in non-estimated parameters and which are supported by a chi-squared of less than one, and on the consistency of orbit solutions from disjoint data sets. A study made to assess the impact of shorter baselines and reduced data noise concludes that with a properly designed system, similar accuracy could be obtained for either a satellite viewed from stations located within the continental U.S. or for a satellite viewed from stations within Japanese territory.