Precision Orbit Derived Total Density

摘要

Atmospheric density modeling is the greatest uncertainty in the dynamics of low-Earth-orbit satellites. Accuratendensity calculations are required to provide meaningful estimates of the atmospheric drag perturbing satellitenmotion. This paper uses precision satellite orbits from the Challenging Mini Satellite Payload (CHAMP) asnmeasurements in an optimal orbit determination process. The accuracy of the precision orbit derived density isncompared to CHAMP accelerometer derived density for various filter/smoother settings to calibrate the precisionnorbit derived densities. Settings studied include the half-lives of the ballistic coefficient and density estimate Gauss–nMarkov processes, solution time spans, and baseline densitymodels. The precision orbit derived densities are shownnto more closely match the accelerometer derived densities along the CHAMP orbit than either the Jacchia 1971nempirical model or the High Accuracy Satellite Drag Model.