Chinese Space Science and Technology ›› 2020, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (5): 119-125.doi: 10.16708/j.cnki.1000-758X.2020.0065

Previous Articles    

Micro VLBI network for GEO satellite monitoring

ZHANG Zhibin,WANG Wei,YANG Peng,KALIUZHNYI Mykolay,MI Ligong,LI Guanghui,LI Peng, TANG Zhenghong,CUI Lang,HUANG Yong,WANG Guangli   

  1. 1.Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy Sciences, Shanghai200030, China
    2.University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
    3.Mykolayiv Astronomical Observatory, R. I. Mykolayiv54030, Ukraine
    4.Qiannan Normal University for Nationalities, Duyun558000, China
    5.Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy Sciences,Urumqi830011, China
  • Published:2020-10-25 Online:2020-09-30

Abstract: According to the requirements of all-time, allweather and high precision geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite monitoring, a simple very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observing system was developed and a micro VLBI network (MVN) including Shanghai, Duyun and Urumqi was built. Debugging in collocated stations was performed and GEO satellite named as Apstar6C was monitored by MVN, whose observing capability was evaluated. The receiving accuracy of single station without systematic errors was 2ns. The results show that the post-fit residuals of different baselines are about several nanoseconds. Moreover, the accuracy of observed GEO satellite orbit is in the level of 100m (internal and external accuracy of about 100m and 400m respectively). Unlike traditional VLBI or other GEO monitoring techniques, MVN has features including all-time, all-weather, low cost, easy deployment and convenient marketing, showing its great application value in the field of GEO satellite monitoring.

Key words: geostationary orbit, VLBI, micro VLBI network, time delay, orbit determination, capability evaluation