Key technologies implementation of high-repetition-rate satellite laser ranging

Satellite laser ranging （SLR） is one of the major space geodetic instruments, which has various applications in earth science. In this paper, we introduce several issues regarding the key technology implementation of high-repetition-rate SLR system. Compared with traditional technology, using kHz and 8ps pulse width laser component, the data quantity and quality of high-repetition-rate satellite laser ranging （SLR） can be significantly improved. The characteristics of high-repetition-rate laser ranging and the key technologies are presented, including the event timer with the precision of picosecond, the generation of range gate signal, and so on. All of them are based on the Field Programmable Gate Arrays （FPGA） and tested on China mobile SLR system-TROS1000. Finally, the observations of satellite Beacon-C are given.

A correction method of encoder bias in satellite laser ranging system

In a satellite laser ranging telescope system, well-aligned encoders of the elevation and azimuth axes are essential for tracking objects. However, it is very difficult and time-consuming to correct the bias between the absolute-position indices of the encoders and the astronomical coordinates, especially in the absence of a finder scope for our system. To solve this problem, a method is presented based on the phenomenon that all stars move anti-clockwise around Polaris in the northern hemisphere. Tests of the proposed adjustment procedure in a satellite laser ranging （SLR）system demonstrated the effectiveness and the time saved by using the approach, which greatly facilitates the optimization of a trackin~ svstem.

Progress of the satellite laser ranging system TROS1000

The mobile satellite laser ranging system TROS1000, successfully developed in 2010, achieves a high repetition rate and enables daytime laser ranging. Its measurement range has reached up to 36000 km with an accuracy as precise as 1 cm. Using recent observations in Wuhan, Jiufeng, Xianning, and Rongcheng, Shandong, we introduce the progress made using this mobile observation system.

Overview of Satellite Laser Ranging for BeiDou Navigation Satellite System

Satellite laser ranging(SLR)is an unambiguous measurement technique and generates high accuracy satellite orbit data.All satellites in the BeiDou navigation satellite system(BDS)carried laser retro-reflector arrays(LRAs),so they can be tracked by ground SLR stations in order to provide the accurate observation data.The Shanghai astronomical observatory(SHAO)designed the LRAs,and also developed the dedicated SLR systems using a 1 m-aperture telescope and a transportable cabin-based SLR system with a telescopes of 60 cm aperture.These enable BDS satellite ranging during daytime and nighttime with centimeter-level precision,allowing highly accurate estimations of satellite orbits.Moreover,some of the BDS satellites are also equipped with laser time transfer(LTT)payloads,which were developed by the SHAO and China Academy of Space Technology(CAST),providing a highly accurate time comparison between the satellites and ground clocks.This paper describes the dedicated SLR system and the design of the LRAs for BDS satellites,as well as global SLR measurements.The SLR tracking data is used for evaluating the orbit accuracy of BDS satellites and broadcast ephemeris,with an accuracy of less than 1 m.The LTT measurements to BDS satellites for a single shot have a precision of approximately 300 picoseconds,with a time stability of 20 picoseconds in 500 s.

Influence of Range Gate Width on Detection Probability and Ranging Accuracy of Single Photon Laser Altimetry Satellite

The influence of the single photon laser altimeter range-gate width on the detection probability and ranging accuracy is discussed and analyzed,according to the LiDAR equation,single photon detection equation and the Monte Carlo method to simulate the experiment.The simulated results show that the probability of detection is not affected by the range gate,while the probability of false alarm is relative to the gate width.When the gate width is 100 ns,the ranging accuracy can accord with the requirements of satellite laser altimeter.But when the range gate width exceeds 400 ns,ranging accuracy will decline sharply.The noise ratio will be more as long as the range gate to get larger,so the refined filtering algorithm during the data processing is important to extract the useful photons effectively.In order to ensure repeated observation of the same point for 25 times,we deduce the quantitative relation between the footprint size,footprint,and frequency repetition according to the parameters of ICESat-2.The related conclusions can provide some references for the design and the development of the domestic single photon laser altimetry satellite.

Laser back scatter: Limitation to higher repetition rate [kHz] Satellite Laser Ranging system

Satellite laser ranging(SLR)with higher repetition rate is the recent trend for its various advantages.Laser backscatter(coincidence between recently transmitted pulses and received pulses near the detector)is found to be a constraint for the repetition rates higher than 20 kHz,due to,overlapping with photons returning from a satellite with the present constellation of most of the SLR systems.Such an overlap occurs at every 75 km satellite distance change at 2 kHz repetition rate,and remains for about 7.5 km;for a 20 kHz system however,it will occur after every 7.5 km and remains for 7.5 km,resulting in constant backscatter overlap e leaving no chance to avoid it.The resulting noise is 5 times more than before causing a serious problem in detection and lowers the signal to noise ratio of the overall SLR system.However,decreasing energy per shot at higher repetition rates e assuming a constant power laser e the resulting backscatter may decrease fractionally.

Pre-process algorithm for satellite laser ranging data based on curve recognition from points cloud

The satellite laser ranging （SLR） data quality from the COMPASS was analyzed, and the difference between curve recognition in computer vision and pre-process of SLR data finally proposed a new algorithm for SLR was discussed data based on curve recognition from points cloud is proposed. The results obtained by the new algorithm are 85 % （or even higher） consistent with that of the screen displaying method, furthermore, the new method can process SLR data automatically, which makes it possible to be used in the development of the COMPASS navigation system.

Design and analysis of the Macao Science Satellite-1's laser retro-reflector array

The origin and spatial-temporal variation of the Earth’s magnetic field(EMF)is one of the important scientific problems that has long been unsolved.The Macao Science Satellite-1(MSS-1)under construction is China’s first high-precision EMF measurement satellite.To satisfy the highly precise requirements of the MSS-1 orbit measurement,a light,high-precision,four-prism laser retroreflector array was designed.It weighs approximately 285 g,its effective reflection area is greater than 1.77 cm^(2),and its size is 100×100×41 mm.The laser retro-reflector array has excellent performance,and it can achieve a ranging precision at the subcentimeter level for satellite laser ranging.It will be developed and installed on the MSS-1 as a power-free load for high-precision orbit measurement and accurate orbit calibration.The MSS-1 is planned to be brought into the International Laser Ranging Service observations.More than 31satellite laser ranging stations in the International Laser Ranging Service around the world will be able to measure the MSS-1 with long arcs,which will support the scientific mission of high-precision EMF exploration.

Determination of global geodetic parameters using satellite laser ranging to Galileo,GLONASS,and BeiDou satellites

The new Global Navigation Satellite System(GNSS)satellites,including GLONASS,Galileo,and BeiDou system,are equipped with Laser Retroreflector Arrays(LRA)to support Satellite Laser Ranging(SLR)tracking,which contributes to the estimation of global geodetic parameters.In this study,we estimate the global geodetic parameters using the SLR observations to GNSS satellites and also investigate the effects of different data processing strategies on the estimated Earth Rotation Parameters(ERP),geocenter motion,and terrestrial scale.The results indicate that setting range bias parameters for each satellite-station pair can effectively account for the satellite-specific biases induced by LRAs,leading to smaller Root Mean Square Errors(RMSE)of the post-fit SLR residuals.Furthermore,estimating the range biases for each satellite-station pair improves the accuracy of the estimated station coordinates and ERP.We also examine the impact of different arc lengths on the estimates of ERP,geocenter motion,and terrestrial scale.The results show that extending arc length can significantly reduce the formal error of ERP.The 7-day strategy produces the smallest RMSEs of 473 microarcseconds and 495 microarcseconds for the estimated X-and Y-component of pole coordinates,and 52 microseconds for length-of-day,respectively.However,the estimated geocenter motion is less affected by the arc length,even the shortest 1-day arc strategy can capture the seasonal variations of geocenter motion in Z component.For scale estimation,extending the arc length notably improves the accuracy of the estimated station coordinates and scale,but this advantage becomes less noticeable in longer arcs.The 7-day solution also obtains the closet scale results compared to ITRF2014,with the RMSE of 2.10×10^(–9).

Evaluation of CHAMP Satellite Orbit with SLR Measurements

The technique of Evaluating CHAMP satellite orbit with SLR measurements is presented. As an independent evaluation of the orbit solution, SLR data observed from January 1 to 16, 2002 are processed to compute the residuals after fixing the GFZ’s post science orbits solutions. The SLR residuals are computed as the differences of the SLR measurements minus the corresponding distances between the SLR station and the GPS-derived orbit positions. On the basis of the SLR residuals analysis, it is found that the accuracy of GFZ’s post science orbits is better than 10 cm and that there is no systematic error in GFZ’s post science orbits.

The progress of laser ranging technology at Shanghai Astronomical Observatory

As an important station of International Laser Ranging Service(ILRS),Shanghai Astronomical Observatory(SHAO)has upgraded Satellite Laser Ranging(SLR)system with high repetition rate and achieved some technological progress,There are a lot of improvements for overall system performance,such as annual observation passes,measurement precision and quality of observation data.SLR technology with repetition rate of 10 kHz is accomplished firstly in China,and space debris laser ranging technology with200 Hz laser is promoted and proved to be more detective for weak echo,which lead to successful measurement for 40,000 km satellites and space debris within 3000 km.At the same time,SLR based on multi-telescopes and 1064 nm wavelength are planned to make a breakthrough of detection capabilities,and also to expand its application fields.These progresses will be introduced in this paper in detail.

星地SLR和星间链路的BDS-3卫星精密定轨

目前,BDS-3卫星上已全部搭载星间链路设备,可利用星间双向测量数据分离卫星相对钟差和相对几何距离解耦卫星轨道和钟差,再把星间距离作为观测量结合地面测量数据进行星地星间联合定轨。人卫激光测距(SLR)技术不受载波相位模糊度、钟差等因素的影响,数据处理过程相对于GNSS技术的数据处理更简单,可以作为一种独立于GNSS观测技术的测量手段。所有BDS卫星上已搭载激光角反射器,因此本文利用2020年1月北斗星间链路数据及少量SLR数据对11颗BDS-3卫星(MEO/IGSO/GEO)进行联合精密定轨试验。分析结果表明,基于SLR和星间链路的3类轨道类型的BDS-3卫星定轨精度相当,轨道精度径向为4.2 cm,三维精度为30.2 cm;卫星轨道预报12 h和24 h MEO卫星三维精度约40.0 cm,IGSO三维精度优于60.0 cm;GEO卫星三维精度约1.0 m。在精密定轨的同时解算地球自转参数(ERP),由于激光数据量少,极移精度约3.0 mas,日长变化精度为0.35 ms。利用少量SLR观测数据和星间链路测量数据联合可以实现导航卫星的高精度定轨,如果能够对BDS卫星加强激光观测,有助于提升轨道精度,为BDS自主可控空间基准参数解算提供参考。

北斗三号卫星GNSS/SLR数据联合精密定轨

为了进一步提升北斗卫星定轨技术的精度,研究引入不同类型的观测数据联合全球导航卫星系统(GNSS)观测数据对提升北斗卫星轨道产品的精确度的影响:在GNSS观测数据的基础上引入卫星激光测距(SLR)的观测数据对北斗三号卫星进行联合轨道确定,并采用激光检核轨道残差和将解算结果与武汉大学(WHU)提供的精密星历产品进行轨道互差2种方法,讨论引入激光测距观测值对提升北斗三号卫星轨道精度的作用。实验结果表明,引入SLR观测数据之后,北斗三号系列卫星中的中圆地球轨道(MEO)卫星的轨道精度有所提升。

联合SLR的BDS精密定轨光压模型影响与分析

围绕联合卫星激光测距(SLR)数据的北斗卫星导航系统(BDS)精密定轨中光压模型选取和精化问题,分析了不同光压模型对轨道精度的影响,包括ECOM1、ECOM2以及混合光压模型。采用125个全球GNSS测站和23个SLR测站265天观测数据进行联合定轨,从SLR检核、轨道边界不连续性以及轨道预报三方面对定轨精度进行分析,结果表明:联合定轨均能显著提高轨道的SLR检核精度,其中采用混合光压模型时精度最高。采用ECOM1和ECOM2时,联合SLR观测值定轨降低了BDS卫星计算轨道和预报轨道的精度,采用混合模型时BDS卫星轨道预报精度略有提升。综合外符合和内符合精度,建议在联合SLR观测数据进行BDS卫星精密定轨时采用混合光压模型。

空间激光通信与测距一体化研究

【目的】随着卫星技术和通信技术的不断提高,空间激光通信与测距一体化技术也逐渐成熟。而伴随着深空探测、卫星导航等领域的进一步发展,大量的业务及应用需求对星间的通信容量和测距精度又提出了更高的要求。在综合考虑卫星荷载与功耗的前提下,如何在实现激光卫星高速通信的同时,完成测距并进一步提升测距精度,成为亟待解决的课题。【方法】基于双向单程测距原理,设计并实现了一种同时支持正交相移键控(QPSK)和二进制相移键控(BPSK)的相干通信与测距一体化系统,为进一步提升测距性能,又从提升时钟精度入手,通过使用差拍采样方法,使用鉴频与鉴相来获取发送时钟与接收时钟之间的频率差与相位差,以此来获取到更高的时钟精度,从而对测距值进行校正。【结果】该系统能稳定工作在接收光功率大于-48 dBm的环境,针对不同应用需求可设置不同的速率,QPSK模式下最高速率为5 Gbit/s,BPSK模式下速率分别为2.5 Gbit/s、1.25 Gbit/s和625 Mbit/s,系统测距精度理论上可达最小值53 ps,在正常通信时,使用Matlab与Vivado对测距数据进行计算处理,验证了系统测距精度小于0.1 ns。进一步采用差拍采样方法,仿真条件下,测距精度可提升至码元宽度的10^(-3)量级,达±0.36 cm。【结论】所提通信测距一体化系统能够在高速通信的同时实现高精度测距,对未来激光卫星的相关应用具有一定的实际意义。

Performance and observation summary of Changchun Satellite Laser Ranging Station

This note introduces the performance and observation summary of the SLR system at Changcun Observatory, the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The performance of the SLR system has been greatly improved since August 1997. The single shot precision is improved from 5-7 cm to 1-2 cm and the normal point precision reaches 4-7 mm. The long-term stability is better than 1 cm. The amount of observation has been increased from 1000 to over 3000 passes. The whole performance of Changcun SLR system has reached the advanced level among the worldwide SLR stations.

A Raman laser system for multi-wavelength satellite laser ranging

In order to develop a laser system for multi-wavelength satellite laser ranging, the joint group of the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory and the Czech Technical University has studied the conversion efficiency of the Raman-shifting beam and its spatial characteristics. We adopted a 0.53 μm laser with pulse width of 35 ps and peak energy of 35 mJ, the second harmonic of a Nd:YAG actively and passively mode-locked laser, to pump a one-meter-long Raman tube which is full of H2 with high pressure at the Prague-based laboratory. We get the first Stokes laser (0.68 μm): 7 mJ (single pulse) with beam divergence of 40″ (arcsecond) and spatial wobbling of less than 4″; and the first anti-Stokes laser (0.43 μm): 2 mJ (single pulse) with divergence of 56″ and spatial wobbling of less than 4″. The emitting beam from the Raman cell also includes 0.53 μm: 10 mJ (single pulse) with divergence of 40″ and spatial wobbling of less than 7″. According to the radar link equation and based on the above obtained multi-wavelength’s energy, we can estimate the detection probabilities for three colors respectively. It is shown by the result that the developed multi-wavelength Raman laser system has the capability of satellite ranging. The Raman laser system will be installed at the laser station in Shanghai Astronomical Observatory to research the multi-wavelength satellite laser ranging.

Design and observations of satellite laser ranging system for daylight tracking at Shanghai Observatory

The first satellite laser ranging system for daylight tracking in China was set up at Shanghai Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Both false alarm probability due to strong background noises and detection probability of the laser returns with single photon level from satellite in daylight for our system are analysed. The system design and performance characteristics of subsystems, adopted techniques and satellite ranging observations are given.

Theoretical analysis and numerical solution of laser pulse transformation for satellite laser ranging

The processes of the pulse transformation in satellite laser ranging (SLR) are analyzed,the analytical expressions of the transformation are deduced,and the effects of the transformation on Center-of-Mass corrections of satellite and ranging precision are discussed.The numerical solution of the transformation and its effects are also given.The results reveal the rules of pulse transformation affected by different kinds of factors.These are significant for designing the SLR system with millimeter accuracy.

Precise orbit determination of Haiyang-2 using satellite laser ranging

With the successful launch and official commissioning of China's first dynamic ocean environment satellite Haiyang-2(HY-2),China's capabilities for oceanic environment monitoring and oceanic resource detecting have been further improved and enhanced.Precise tracking and orbit determination are not only key technical concerns in the ocean dynamic environment satellite project but also necessary conditions for carrying out related oceanic science research using observational data obtained using spaceborne instruments including radar altimeter.In this study,the current available status of international satellite laser ranging(SLR) monitoring on HY-2 was introduced.Six-months of SLR data from HY-2 were processed to obtain precise satellite orbit information using the dynamic orbit determination method.We carried out a detailed assessment of the SLR orbit accuracy by internal evaluation,comparisons with the orbit derived by the French Doppler orbitography and radio-positioning integrated by satellite(DORIS) system,and station-satellite distance validation.These assessments indicate that the three-dimensional orbital accuracy of HY-2 is about 12.5 cm,and the radial accuracy is better than 3 cm.It provides a good example of the application of international SLR monitoring and precise orbit determination in China's earth observation satellite project.