Apropos laser tracking to GPS satellites

Abstract

. Laser tracking to GPS satellites (PRN5 and 6) provides an opportunity to compare GPS and laser systems directly and to combine data of both in a single solution. A few examples of this are given in this study. The most important results of the analysis are that (1) daily SLR station coordinate solutions could be generated with a few cm accuracy; (2) coordinates of nine stations were determined in a 2.3-year-long arc solution; (3) the contribution of laser data on the `SLR-GPS' combined orbit, resulting from the simultaneous processing of SLR and GPS data, is significant and (4) laser-only orbits have an accuracy of 10–20 cm, 1-day predictions of SLR orbits differ from IGS orbits by about 20–40 cm, 2-day predictions by 50–60 cm.