Recent Progress and Plans for Improvement of ILRS Infrastructure and Data Product Delivery
Abstract
International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS) continues to improve its services through network expansion and upgrade, Improved diagnostic procedures, and upgrades of its modeling and analysis approaches, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. New ground stations are being deployed with higher repetition rate systems, more efficient detection, and increased automation; new technologies are also being adopted at some of the legacy stations to improve performance. The roster of tracked missions is rapidly expanding. The top priority for the Service continues to be its contribution to the reference frame development, but of increasing importance is the tracking of GNSS satellites, including the anticipated deployment of the new GPS III constellation over the next decade. These requirements are being reflected in new system designs and updates. Stations are also being adapted to accommodate ground and space-time synchronization. A few stations continue with lunar laser ranging activities, while several others have begun developing new lunar ranging capability. About a dozen stations are active in space-debris tracking for studies of orbital dynamics and reentry predictions.
New tools and procedures have been implemented to improve the quality of SLR data and derived products, and to expedite the resolution of performance issues. Work also continues on the design and building of improved retroreflector targets to maximize data quality and quantity. This paper will give an overview of activities underway within the Service, paths forward and presently envisioned, and current issues and challenges.- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2020
- Bibcode:
- 2020AGUFMG008.0009P
- Keywords:
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- 1229 Reference systems;
- GEODESY AND GRAVITY;
- 1243 Space geodetic surveys;
- GEODESY AND GRAVITY;
- 1294 Instruments and techniques;
- GEODESY AND GRAVITY;
- 1295 Integrations of techniques;
- GEODESY AND GRAVITY