BIAS-ERROR REDUCING TECHNIQUE FOR SYNCHRONOUS ORBIT DETERMINATION

This paper proposes a technique for reducing the orbit determination e rror that originates from the bias errors in ranging. Assuming the use of two ranging stations as standards, we locate them so that they are aligned exactly in the north-south direction when viewed from the sat ellite. Then, among the six orbital elements, only one that indicates the along-track offset has a locally minimized error. Proof of this re lationship is derived from the least-squares principle, with its physi cal interpretation provided. This error reduction technique will be he lpful for managing the many satellites in the overcrowded synchronous orbit, particularly if the ranging systems used are different for each satellite.