scholarly journals The space–time references of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunhao Han ◽  
Li Liu ◽  
Zhiwu Cai ◽  
Yuting Lin

AbstractThe BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) is essentially a precise time measurement and time synchronization system for a large-scale space near the Earth. General relativity is the basic theoretical framework for the information processing in the master control station of BDS. Having introduced the basic conceptions of relativistic space–time reference systems, the space–time references of BDS are analyzed and the function and acquisition method of the Earth Orientation Parameters (EOP) are briefly discussed. The basic space reference of BDS is BeiDou Coordinate System (BDCS), and the time standard is the BDS Time (BDT). BDCS and BDT are the realizations of the Geocentric Terrestrial Reference System (GTRS) and the Terrestrial Time (TT) for BDS, respectively. The station coordinates in the BDCS are consistent with those in International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF)2014 at the cm–level and the difference in scale is about $$1.1 \times 10^{ - 8}$$ 1.1 × 10 - 8 . The time deviation of BDT relative to International Atomic Time (TAI) is less than 50 ns and the frequency deviation is less than $$2 \times 10^{ - 14}$$ 2 × 10 - 14 . The Geocentric Celestial Reference System (GCRS) and the solar Barycentric Celestial Reference System (BCRS) are also involved in the operation of BDS. The observation models for time synchronization and precise orbit determination are established within the GCRS framework. The coordinate transformation between BDCS and GCRS is consistent with the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS). In the autonomous operation mode without the support of the ground master control station, Earth Orientation Parameters (EOP) is obtained by means of long-term prediction and on-board observation. The observation models for the on-board astrometry should be established within the BCRS framework.

1991 ◽  
Vol 127 ◽  
pp. 101-107
Author(s):  
M. Feissel

AbstractThe celestial reference system and the terrestial reference system of the International Earth Rotation Service (IERS) are realized on the basis of observation programs in Very Long Baseline radio Interferometry and laser ranging to the Moon and artificial satellites. The celestial frame is materialized by the equatorial coordinates of radio sources observed in VLBI; the terrestrial frame is materialized by the cartesian coordinates of the terrestrial sites monitored by the three techniques. Series of the Earth Orientation Parameters are derived from the same observations. These series provide a permanent link between the celestial system and the terrestrial system at the level of 0.001”.The global adjustment in which the reference systems are defined and realized is described, and the metrological properties of the frames and of the derived EOP are evaluated.


1998 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 553-553
Author(s):  
J. Vondrák ◽  
C. Ron ◽  
I. Pešek ◽  
A. Čepek

The optical astrometry observations of latitude/universal time variations made with 48 instruments at 31 observatories are used to determine the Earth orientation parameters (EOP) since the beginning of the century. The Hipparcos Catalogue is used to bring more than four million individual observations, made in the interval 1899.7-1992.0, into the International Celestial Reference System. The Earth orientation parameters (polar motion, celestial pole offsets and, since 1956.0, also universal time UT1) are determined at 5-day intervals, with average uncertainties ranging from 8 mas (in the eighties) to about 40 mas (in the forties). Making use of very long series of ground-based observations, the solution also leads to the improvement of proper motions of about ten per cent of the observed Hipparcos stars, with precision of ±0.2 — 0.5 mas/yr. In addition, 474 auxiliary parameters, describing the rheological properties of the Earth and seasonal deviations of the observations at contributing observatories, are found. The new solution provides the EOP series suitable for further analyses, e.g., for studying long-periodic polar motion, length-of-day changes or precession/nutation.


2000 ◽  
Vol 178 ◽  
pp. 201-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan I. Mueller

AbstractThe International Earth Rotation Service (IERS) was established in 1987 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), and it began operation on 1 January 1988. The primary objectives of the IERS are to serve the astronomical, geodetic and geophysical communities by providing the following: •The International Celestial Reference System (ICRS) and its realization, the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF).•The International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS) and its realization, the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF).•Earth orientation parameters required to study Earth orientation variations and to transform between the ICRF and the ITRF.•Geophysical data to interpret time/space variations of the ITRF with respect to the ICRF, i.e., of the Earth orientation parameters, and to model such variations.•Standards, constants and models (i.e., conventions) encouraging international adherence.This presentation primarily covers the first three IERS functions from the operational point of view.


2000 ◽  
Vol 180 ◽  
pp. 153-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Capitaine

AbstractThe adoption of the International Celestial Reference System (ICRS) by the IAU in use since 1 January 1998, and the accuracy achieved by the most recent models and observations of Earth rotation call for a redefinition of the Earth Orientation Parameters (EOP). First, the precession-nutation parameters and Greenwich sidereal time, which are currently defined in the FK5 System, have to be re-defined to be consistent with the ICRS. Second, the current definition of the Celestial Ephemeris Pole (CEP) has to be extended in order to be consistent with the most recent models for nutation and polar motion at a microarsecond accuracy including diurnal and sub-diurnal components, as well as with new strategies of observations. Such issues have been under consideration by the subgroup T5 named “Computational Consequences” of the IAU Working Group “ICRS”. This paper gives, as the basis for future recommendations, the preliminary proposals of the subgroup T5 for a modern definition of the CEP, for the definition of more basic EOP in the ICRS and for the choice of a new origin on the equator of the CEP in place of the equinox. Then, the paper emphasizes the use of the Celestial Ephemeris Origin (CEO) which is defined as the “non-rotating origin” in the celestial frame on the equator of the CEP.


2000 ◽  
Vol 180 ◽  
pp. 164-170
Author(s):  
P.M. Mathews ◽  
T.A. Herring

AbstractWe show how the study of variations in orientation of a terrestrial reference system (TRS) in space may be done directly in terms of the motion of the pole of the TRS and rotation around it, and how a separation of these variations into low frequency and high frequency (retrograde and prograde diurnal, semidiurnal, · · · ) bands enables one to characterize and model variations belonging to the various bands and to estimate them simultaneously from observational data by a uniform procedure. Introduction of the Celestial Ephemeris Pole (CEP) or other Celestial Intermediate Pole (IP) is not only unnecessary, but also gives rise to needless debate as to whether variations due to particular causes are to be included in the celestial motion of the IP or in its terrestrial motion, and leaves the question of estimation of high-frequency signals in either frame unresolved. In regard to UT1, we point out that the “correction terms” through which the concept of the nonrotating origin is implemented emerge naturally from fundamental kinematical relations, and use this observation to identify the correction terms to be employed when the Earth orientation parameters are defined in relation to the pole of the TRS rather than an IP.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vishwa Vijay Singh ◽  
Liliane Biskupek ◽  
Jürgen Müller ◽  
Mingyue Zhang

<p>The distance between the observatories on Earth and the retro-reflectors on the Moon has been regularly observed by the Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) experiment since 1970. In the recent years, observations with bigger telescopes (APOLLO) and at infra-red wavelength (OCA) are carried out, resulting in a better distribution of precise LLR data over the lunar orbit and the observed retro-reflectors on the Moon, and a higher number of LLR observations in total. Providing the longest time series of any space geodetic technique for studying the Earth-Moon dynamics, LLR can also support the estimation of Earth orientation parameters (EOP), like UT1. The increased number of highly accurate LLR observations enables a more accurate estimation of the EOP. In this study, we add the effect of non-tidal station loading (NTSL) in the analysis of the LLR data, and determine post-fit residuals and EOP. The non-tidal loading datasets provided by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), the International Mass Loading Service (IMLS), and the EOST loading service of University of Strasbourg in France are included as corrections to the coordinates of the LLR observatories, in addition to the standard corrections suggested by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) 2010 conventions. The Earth surface deforms up to the centimetre level due to the effect of NTSL. By considering this effect in the Institute of Geodesy (IfE) LLR model (called ‘LUNAR’), we obtain a change in the uncertainties of the estimated station coordinates resulting in an up to 1% improvement, an improvement in the post-fit LLR residuals of up to 9%, and a decrease in the power of the annual signal in the LLR post-fit residuals of up to 57%. In a second part of the study, we investigate whether the modelling of NTSL leads to an improvement in the determination of EOP from LLR data. Recent results will be presented.</p>


2011 ◽  
pp. 35-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Damljanovic ◽  
I.S. Milic

During the last century, there were many so-called independent latitude (IL) stations with the observations which were included into data of a few international organizations (like Bureau International de l'Heure - BIH, International Polar Motion Service - IPMS) and the Earth rotation programmes for determining the Earth Orientation Parameters - EOP. Because of this, nowadays, there are numerous astrometric ground-based observations (made over many decades) of some stars included in the Hipparcos Catalogue (ESA 1997). We used these latitude data for the inverse investigations - to improve the proper motions in declination ?? of the mentioned Hipparcos stars. We determined the corrections ??? and investigated agreement of our ?? and those from the catalogues Hipparcos and new Hipparcos (van Leeuwen 2007). To do this we used the latitude variations of 7 stations (Belgrade, Blagoveschtschensk, Irkutsk, Poltava, Pulkovo, Warsaw and Mizusawa), covering different intervals in the period 1904.7 - 1992.0, obtained with 6 visual and 1 floating zenith telescopes (Mizusawa). On the other hand, with regard that about two decades have elapsed since the Hipparcos ESA mission observations (the epoch of Hipparcos catalogue is 1991.25), the error of apparent places of Hipparcos stars has increased by nearly 20 mas because of proper motion errors. Also, the mission lasted less than four years which was not enough for a sufficient accuracy of proper motions of some stars (such as double or multiple ones). Our method of calculation, and the calculated ?? for the common IL/Hipparcos stars are presented here. We constructed an IL catalogue of 1200 stars: there are 707 stars in the first part (with at least 20 years of IL observations) and 493 stars in the second one (less than 20 years). In the case of ?? of IL stars observed at some stations (Blagoveschtschensk, Irkutsk, Mizusawa, Poltava and Pulkovo) we find the formal errors less than the corresponding Hipparcos ones and for some of them (stations Blagoveschtschensk and Irkutsk) even less than the new Hipparcos ones.


2000 ◽  
Vol 178 ◽  
pp. 571-584
Author(s):  
Nicole Capitaine

AbstractThe current IAU conventional models for precession and nutation are referred to the Celestial Ephemeris Pole (CEP). However, the concept corresponding to the CEP is not clear and cannot easily be extended to the most recent models and observations. Its realization is actually dependent both on the model used for precession, nutation and polar motion and on the observational procedure for estimating the Earth orientation parameters. A new definition of the CEP should therefore be given in order to be in agreement with modern models and observations at a microarsecond level. This paper reviews the various realizations of the pole according to the models and observations and discusses the proposals for a modern definition of the CEP that are under consideration within the work of the subgroup T5 entitled “Computational Consequences” of the “ICRS” IAU Working Group.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document