Feasibility of maintaining satellite altimetry calibration site based on qianliyan islet at the Yellow Sea

The calibration of the sea surface height(SSH)measured by satellite altimeters is essential to understand altimeter biases.Many factors affects the construction and maintenance of a permanent calibration site.In order to calibrate Chinese satellite altimetry missions,the feasibility of maintaining a calibration site based on the Qianliyan islet in Yellow Sea of China is taken into account.The related calibration facilities,such as the permanent tide gauge,GNSS reference station and meteorological station,were already operated by the Ministry of Natural Resources of China.The data could be fully used for satellite altimeter calibration with small fiscal expenditure.In addition,the location and marine environments of Qianliyan were discussed.Finally,we used the Jason-3 mission to check the possibility of calibration works.The result indicates that the brightness temperatures of three channels measured by microwave radiometer(MWR)and the derived wet tropospheric correction varies smoothly,which means the land contamination to MWR could be ignored.The high frequency waveforms at the Qianliyan site present no obvious difference from the normal waveforms received by satellite radar altimeter over the open ocean.In conclusion,the Qianliyan islet will not influence satellite altimetry observation.Following these analyses,a possible layout and mechanism of the Qianliyan calibration site are proposed.

On-orbit Geometric Calibration and Preliminary Accuracy Evaluation of GF-14 Satellite

GF-14 satellite is a new generation of sub-meter stereo surveying and mapping satellite in China,carrying dual-line array stereo mapping cameras to achieve 1∶10000 scale topographic mapping without Ground Control Points(GCPs).In fact,space-based high-precision mapping without GCPs is a challenging task that depends on the close cooperation of several payloads and links,of which on-orbit geometric calibration is one of the most critical links.In this paper,the on-orbit geometric calibration of the dual-line array cameras of GF-14 satellite was performed using the control points collected in the high-precision digital calibration field,and the calibration parameters of the dual-line array cameras were solved as a whole by alternate iterations of forward and backward intersection.On this basis,the location accuracy of the stereo images using the calibration parameters was preliminarily evaluated by using several test fields around the world.The evaluation result shows that the direct forward intersection accuracy of GF-14 satellite images without GCPs after on-orbit geometric calibration reaches 2.34 meters(RMS)in plane and 1.97 meters(RMS)in elevation.

The Study of In-Orbit Calibration Accuracy of NOAA Satellite Infrared Sounder and Its Effect on Temperature Profile Retrievals

The calibration accuracy of High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder Mod. 2 (HIRS / 2) on NOAA-10 satellite is analyzed in this paper. The non-linear effect in the linear calibration curve induces a deviation of 1.5 degrees (k) of brightness temperature in the tenth channel (8.3 um, water vapor absorption) of the HIRS/2 and the non-linear effect affects the other channels to a different extent. Based on analyzing non- linearity in two-point calibration curve, a tri-point calibration equation is given. A numerical test of effects of the linear and non-linear calibration models on the accuracy of atmospheric temperature retrievals is carried out.

GYRO BIAS ON-ORBIT CALIBRATION FOR MICRO SATELLITES

According to gyro application in micro-satellites, a new gyro bias real-time on-orbit calibration technology is presented and it is independent of any other sensors. The approach relies on gyro on-orbit measurements restricted by satellite attitude dynamics and estimates the gyro bias generated when the gyro is electrified. Observability of the calibration model is analyzed and applicable conditions of the technology are derived. Simulation results indicate that the calibration algorithm is accurate and robust at gyro sampling rate, and its convergence speed is fast. Within the given attitude dynamics model error, the convergence time is less than 100 s and the convergence accuracy is about 1.0 （°）/h. Calibration performance can meet requirements of spacecraft operations.

On-orbit Geometric Calibration of Linear Push-broom Optical Satellite Based on Sparse GCPs

The paper presents a geometric calibration method based on the sparse ground control points (GCPs), aiming to the linear push-broom optical satellite. This method can achieve the optimal estimate of internal and external parameters with two overlapped image pair along the charge-coupled device (CCD), and sparse GCPs in the image region, further get rid of the dependence on the expensive calibration site data. With the calibrated parameters, the line of sight (LOS) of all CCD detectors can be recovered. This paper firstly establishes the rigorous imaging model of linear push-broom optical satellite based on its imaging mechanism. And then the calibration model is constructed by improving the internal sensor model with a viewing-angle model after an analysis on systematic errors existing in the imaging model is performed. A step-wise solution is applied aiming to the optimal estimate of external and internal parameters. At last, we conduct a set of experiments on the ZY-3 NAD camera and verify the accuracy and effectiveness of the presented method by comparison.

Sensor Calibration in Support for NOAA's Satellite Mission

Sensor calibration, including its definition, purpose, traceability options, methodology, complexity, and importance, is examined in this paper in the context of supporting NOAA＇s satellite mission. Common understanding of sensor calibration is essential for the effective communication among sensor vendors, calibration scientists, satellite operators, program managers, and remote sensing data users, who must cooperate to ensure that a nation＇s strategic investment in a sophisticated operational environmental satellite system serves the nation＇s interest and enhances the human lives around the world. Examples of calibration activities at NOAA/NESDIS/ORA are selected to further illustrate these concepts and to demonstrate the lessons learned from the past experience.

Geometric Calibration and Image Quality Assessment of High Resolution Dual-Camera Satellite

The evaluation of geometric calibration accuracy of high resolution satellite images has been increasingly recognized in recent years.In order to evaluate geometric accuracy for dual-camera satellite images based on the ground control points(GCP),a rigorous geometric imaging model,which was based on the collinear equation of the probe directional angle and the optimized tri-axial attitude determination(TRIAD)algorithm,is presented.Two reliable test fields in Tianjin and Jinan(China)were utilized for geometric accuracy validation of Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite-1.The experimental results demonstrate a certain deviation of the on-orbit calibration result from the initial design values of the calibration parameters.Therefore,on-orbit geometric calibration is necessary for optical satellite imagery.Within this research,the geometrical performances including positioning accuracy without/with GCP and band registration of the dual-camera satellite were analyzed in detail,and the results of geometric image quality are assessed and discussed.As a result,it is feasible and necessary to establish such a geometric calibration model to evaluate the geometric quality of dual-camera satellite.

MONTE CARLO SIMULATION FOR MODELING THE EFFECT OF GROUND SEGMENT LOCATION ON IN-ORBIT RESPONSIVENESS OF LEO SUNSYNCHRONOUS SATELLITES

Responsiveness is a challenge for space systems to sustain competitive advantage over al-ternate non-spaceborne technologies.For a satellite in its operational orbit,in-orbit responsiveness is defined as the capability of the satellite to respond to a given demand in a timely manner.In this paper,it is shown that Average Wait Time(AWT) to pick up user demand from ground segment is the ap-propriate metric to evaluate the effect of ground segment location on in-orbit responsiveness of Low Earth Orbit(LEO) sunsynchronous satellites.This metric depends on pattern of ground segment access to satellite and distribution of user demands in time domain.A mathematical model is presented to determine pattern of ground segment access to satellite and concept of cumulative distribution function is used to simulate distribution of user demands for markets with different total demand scenarios.Monte Carlo simulations are employed to take account of uncertainty in distribution and total volume of user demands.Sampling error and standard deviation are used to ensure validity of AWT metric obtained from Monte Carlo simulations.Incorporation of the proposed metric in the ground segment site location process results in more responsive satellite systems which,in turn,lead to greater customer satisfaction levels and attractiveness of spaceborne systems for different applications.Finally,simula-tion results for a case study are presented.

In-Orbit Calibration and Data Analysis of China＇s First Grazing Incidence Focusing X-Ray Pulsar Telescope

The grazing incidence focusing X-ray pulsar telescope(iFXPT), as the main payload of the X-ray Pulsar Navigation Test Satellite(XPNAV-1), will have great significance on China's space scientific exploration and X-ray pulsar navigation. With PSR B0531+21(Crab Pulsar) as the observation target, the pulsar profile has been recovered based on the data obtained by iFXPT, realizing the main objective of "observing" PSR B0531+21 for the first time in China. This payload mainly consists of the Wolter-I X-ray optics, silicon drift detector, magnetic deflector, electronics, high-energy particle shield and high-stability structures. Currently, the iFXPT, with its good in-orbit performance, has obtained a considerable observation data. The effective area, sensitivity and energy response have been calibrated both on ground and in-orbit, demonstrating a high degree of consistency. Meanwhile, the in-orbit observation data and information for pulsar navigation has also been analyzed simultaneously. As a result, the feasibility of the exploration scheme and the performance of the telescope have been fully validated.

FY-2F Satellite In-orbit Test Review Passed

The FY-2F satellite recently passed its in-orbit test review and can be put into operational use. Experts from Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Meteorological Administration, CASC, China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense,

Latest Progress of the Chinese Meteorological Satellite Program and Core Data Processing Technologies

In this paper,the latest progress,major achievements and future plans of Chinese meteorological satellites and the core data processing techniques are discussed.First,the latest three FengYun(FY)meteorological satellites(FY-2H,FY-3D,and FY-4A)and their primary objectives are introduced Second,the core image navigation techniques and accuracies of the FY meteorological satellites are elaborated,including the latest geostationary(FY-2/4)and polar-orbit(FY-3)satellites.Third,the radiometric calibration techniques and accuracies of reflective solar bands,thermal infrared bands,and passive microwave bands for FY meteorological satellites are discussed.It also illustrates the latest progress of real-time calibration with the onboard calibration system and validation with different methods,including the vicarious China radiance calibration site calibration,pseudo invariant calibration site calibration,deep convective clouds calibration,and lunar calibration.Fourth,recent progress of meteorological satellite data assimilation applications and quantitative science produce are summarized at length.The main progress is in meteorological satellite data assimilation by using microwave and hyper-spectral infrared sensors in global and regional numerical weather prediction models.Lastly,the latest progress in radiative transfer,absorption and scattering calculations for satellite remote sensing is summarized,and some important research using a new radiative transfer model are illustrated.

Micro-vibration suppression and compensation techniques for in-orbit satellite:A review

Micro-vibration is an important factor affecting the imaging quality and pointing accu-racy of the in-orbit satellites.To address the problem of micro-vibration compensation,a general summary for modeling,analysis,suppression,and compensation approach should be outlined.In this review,micro-vibration characteristics and its impacts on the payloads are firstly analyzed.Afterwards,methods for micro-vibration measurement are provided.In detail,the principles and practical applications of these methods are introduced.Then,advanced technologies for micro-vibration suppression are summarized from micro-vibration source attenuation,transfer path opti-mization and sensitive load isolation.Two approaches have been found to be effective for micro-vibration compensation.The one is the Line-of-Sight(LOS)stabilization assisted with Inertial Ref-erence Unit(IRU).The other is using image restoration technology to remove the blur caused by platform jitter.The compensation technique and research status of the two techniques are reviewed.This work will provide researchers with technical guidelines for micro-vibration suppression.

GF-5 VIMI On-Orbit Calibration Instrument and Performance

The Visible and Infrared Multispectral Imager (VIMI) is one of the main payloads of the GF-5 satellite. It has 12 spectral bands covering the wavelength from visible light to thermal infrared. The imager designed life is 8 years. In order to monitor and correct the radiometric performance of the imager for a long time and meet the user’s demand for the quantitative remote sensing application, the expandable diffuser used for calibration in full FOV and full optical path method is designed. The solar diffuser is installed on the front side of the optical system and does not affect the normal imaging of VIMI. When VIMI need calibration, the diffuser is expand to the front of optical system via the driving mechanism. According to the characteristics of the GF-5 satellite orbit, the requirement of the calibration energy and the installation matrix of the imager relative to the satellite, the expansion angle of the diffuser is 39 degrees. The 430 mm × 430 mm large-size PTEE diffuser is manufactured to ensure full FOV and full optical path calibration. The diffuser’s directional hemispherical reflectance is higher than 95% from 420 nm to 2400 nm and variation of BRDF in the direction of imager observation is better than 2.5%. The diffuser stability monitoring radiometer is designed to monitor the on-orbit attenuation performance of the diffuser. Results of ground simulation experiments and preliminary on-board calibration experiments were introduced.

Calibration of GNSS positioning receivers

Nowadays global navigation satellite system(GNSS)receivers are the primary tool not only for precision surveying but also for geodesy,geophysics and many other industrial applications worldwide.The only way to assure the accuracy,universality and longevity of GNSS measurements is by calibration of its receivers.The parameters affecting the calibration accuracy of a single GNSS receiver are discussed in this paper.And a geodetic basepoint is established according to previous empirical studies to serve as a reference for calibration.Additionally,the traceability to the systeme international(SI)unit of such kind of calibrations is discussed.Stability of the base point is also verified through long-term measurements over three years.Eventually,a calibration of a sample single GNSS receiver is performed and the uncertainty budget is derived.

External calibration of GOCE data using regional terrestrial gravity data

This paper reports on a study of the methodology of external calibration of GOCE data, using regional terrestrial-gravity data. Three regions around the world are selected in the numerical experiments. The result indicates that this calibration method is feasible. The effect is best with an accuracy of scale factor at 10 -2 level, in Australia, where the area is smooth and the gravity data points are dense. The accuracy is one order of magnitude lower in both Canada, where the area is smooth but the data points are sparse, and Norway, where the area is rather tough and the data points are sparse.

Feasibility Analysis of Performance Validation for Satellite Altimeters Using Tide Gauge and Deep-ocean Bottom Pressure Recorder

Independent of traditional approach of satellite altimeter calibration, the feasibility of altimeter validation using tide gauge located on solitary island at open sea (TGSI) and deep-ocean bottom pressure recorder (DBPR) separately is initially studied. Bias of Jason-3 sea surface height (SSH) and relative SSH bias (Δbias) between Jason-2 and Jason-3 is calculated using the data of tide gauge on Harvest oil platform, tide gauge No. 1890000 and DBPR No. 21419. The standard deviations of calculated SSH bias sequence are 3.98 cm, 2.87 cm and 8.61 cm respectively, and Δbias (Jason-3—Jason-2) is -3.62± 2.17 cm , -2.58±1.97 cm and -2.60±1.30 cm respectively. Comparing to the results reported by international calibration sites, the results show that Jason-3 SSH is 3.0 cm lower than that of Jason-2, the selected DBPR is appropriate to the calculation of relative SSH bias between Jason-2 and Jason-3, but it is not suitable for calibration or validation of single satellite, TGSI is appropriate to both.

Review of satellite disciplined clock system

Satellite disciplined clock system(SDCS)composed of satellite timing receiver and local frequency synthesis is widely applied for its high accuracy and low cost.This paper provides a review of SDCS.Key technologies such as phase difference measurement,pulse noise process and frequency calibration are surveyed in detail.Disciplined clock model based on PI controller is built and disciplined process is analyzed.The methods of realizing the disciplined clock circuit are classified and summarized.A prototype based on FPGA is proposed.At last development trend of SDCS is discussed.

On-orbit geometric calibration of satellite laser altimeters using infrared detectors and corner-cube retroreflectors

After being launched into orbit,the geometric calibration of a satellite laser altimeter will reduce errors in laser pointing and ranging caused by satellite vibrations during launch,environmental changes,and thermal effects during long-term operation,which guarantees the accuracy of measurement data.In this study,a satellite laser geometric calibration method combining infrared detectors and corner-cube retroreflectors(CCRs)is proposed.First,a CCR-based laser ranging error calibration method was established,and then a laser pointing error calibration model was derived based on a single infrared detector array.Taking GaoFen-7(GF-7)satellite laser beam 2 as the experimental object,laser geometric calibration was realized using an infrared detector and CCR-measured data.Then,the accuracy of the proposed method was compared with that of other calibration methods,the CMLID and the CMSPR.The results show that the accuracy of the proposed calibration method is equivalent to that of the CMLID and higher than that of the CMSPR.Among them,the accuracy of the laser pointing after calibration using the proposed method is better than 0.8 arcsec,and the elevation accuracy of the laser on flat,sloping,and mountainous terrains is better than 0.11 m,0.30 m,and 1.80 m,respectively.

Preliminary Pointing Bias Calibration of ZY3-03 Laser Altimeter

ZiYuan3-03(ZY3-03)satellite was launched on July 25,2020,equipped with China’s second-generation laser altimeter for earth observation.In order to preliminarily evaluate the in-orbit performance of the ZY3-03 laser altimeter,the pointing bias calibration based on terrain matching method was adopted.Three tracks of laser data were employed for the ZY3-03 laser altimeter calibration test.Three groups of pointing parameters were obtained respectively,and the mean value of pointing is considered as the optimal calibration result.After calibration,ZY3-03 laser pointing accuracy is greatly improved by the method,and its pointing accuracy is approximately 12.7 arcsec.The first-track laser data on the Black Sea surface is used to evaluate the relative elevation accuracy of ZY3-03 laser altimeter after pointing bias calibration,which is improved from 0.33 m to 0.19 m after calibration.Meanwhile,the absolute elevation accuracy of ZY3-03 laser altimeter after pointing bias calibration is evaluated by the Ground Control Points(GCPs)measured by RTK(Real-Time Kinematic),which is better than 0.5 m in the flat terrain.

敦煌戈壁地表反射率光谱的旋翼无人机测量及定标评估

利用敦煌中国遥感卫星辐射校正场的星地同步观测试验,实现对我国在轨气象、海洋、陆地资源、环境减灾、测绘地震、高分、军事等系列卫星光学成像载荷太阳反射波段的绝对辐射定标,是目前的重要手段之一。然而,中国遥感卫星辐射校正场传统的地表反射率光谱星地同步测量方法是基于汽车跑场观测,不仅耗费较大的人力物力、容易造成场地破坏,而且获取的测量数据缺乏区域代表性。鉴于此,自2016年起,在敦煌星地同步观测试验中以旋翼无人机低空同步测量为主,跑场测量为辅,完成从航线设计、航高选择、仪器参数配置、采样策略、航空数据处理的全链路摸底测试。多次飞行试验表明,采用多旋翼无人机低空飞行来代替汽车跑场同步测量,不仅提高了地表反射特性测量的空间一致性和代表性,还提高了地表反射率光谱的测量效率,也对宝贵的中国遥感卫星辐射校正场敦煌戈壁场区地表进行了有效保护,极大的节约了人力物力成本。通过传统跑场测量和航飞测量的地表反射率光谱数据对比分析,发现多次测量数据的均值一致性较好,并且航飞测量的数据标准差更小。利用TERRA MODIS的同步观测来对无人机测量数据开展辐射定标评估,结果表明航飞数据的相对偏差均在5%以内,可以代替跑场数据完成定标,精度满足要求。随着无人机性能的进一步优化和提高,在不久的将来必将得到更加广泛和深入的应用,在外场定标试验领域也将发挥更大更重要的作用。