Expected orbit determination performance for the TOPEX/Poseidon mission

摘要

The research that has been conducted in the Space Geodesy Branch at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center in preparation for meeting the 13-cm radial orbit accuracy requirement for the TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) mission is described. New developments in modeling the Earth's gravitational field and modeling the complex nonconservative forces acting on T/P are highlighted. The T/P error budget is reviewed, and a prelaunch assessment of the predicted orbit determination accuracies is summarized.