Effect of SLR Data Obtained at Simosato Hydrographic Observatory on the Orbit Determination of TOPEX/Poseidon

Abstract

The effect of SLR data of Simosato Hydrographic Observatory on the orbit determination of TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) was investigated by comparing orbits calculated with and without Simosato data. The orbit of T/P was calculated by using GEODYN” II, which is an orbit analysis software used for orbit determination of T/P at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The accuracy of resulting orbit solution is about 3 [cm] RMS in radial direction. By the presence of Simosato data, the spheroidal height of T/P differs by 1-4 [cm]. The difference becomes largest at the vicinity of the observation period at Simosato and appears for about one day before and after it. This result suggests that the effect of Simosato data appears not only above Japan but also on the whole orbit of T/P.