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Monitoring Earth Rotation and Polar Motion Using Space VLBI: A Feasibility Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 August 2017

Madhav N. Kulkarni*
Affiliation:
Department of Geodetic Science and Surveying The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210-1247 USA

Abstract

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Space Very Long Baseline Interferometry is an extension of the ground based VLBI to the space. With the launching of two Space VLBI satellites in the future, Space VLBI observations will be available for astrometric, geodetic and geodynamic applications. This new technique holds potential for various important applications including monitoring Earth rotation. The aim of this feasibility study has been to investigate the possibility of precise estimation of Earth rotation parameters from the Space VLBI observations. A simplified mathematical model is derived in terms of estimable parameters. Sensitivity analysis has been carried out to study the sensitivity of this system to the geodetic parameters of interest. Some of the dominant systematic effects have been investigated. Simulation studies have been carried out to study the influence of these systematic effects and a priori information on the estimation of the Earth rotation parameters. The results indicate that the Space VLBI technique may be used to complement other existing techniques for monitoring Earth rotation, only if the orbital systematic effects can be modeled to a high degree of accuracy (or the satellites can be tracked, with high accuracy, independently), and precise a priori information on station coordinates from other sources is used.

Type
Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI)
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 

References

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