Ephemeris Determination Using a Connected Element Interferometer

Abstract

This paper describes a connected element interferometer that has been developed and is operating with collection elements in Tucson and Phoenix with a separation of 180 km. Coherence between the collection sites of better than 50 picoseconds is achieved through two-way time transfer over a commercial fiber optics link. The description of hardware and software implementation, as well as measurement results of several operating satellites, are presented. Consider analysis is also presented to demonstrate the projected system performance against different targets, based on the characteristics of the measurement using the existing Tucson-Phoenix link.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2002
Accession Number
ADA484460

Entities

People

  • A. Gifford
  • Deborah K. Morrison
  • S. Pogorelc
  • T. Celano

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Data Processing
  • Ephemerides
  • Fiber Optics
  • Frequency
  • Geosynchronous Orbits
  • Geosynchronous Satellites
  • Instrumentation
  • Interferometers
  • L Band
  • Low Earth Orbits
  • Measurement
  • Radiation Pressure
  • Satellite Orbits
  • Solar Radiation
  • Spacecraft

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerospace Test and Evaluation
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics.
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.

Technology Areas

  • Space