Radiation Pressure Modeling for GNSS Satellites
Among the varieties of the non-conservative forces acting on the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) spacecraft, Solar Radiation Pressure (SRP), followed by the Albedo, namely force due to electromagnetic radiation reflected by the Earth, have the greatest influence. And the proper parameterization and modeling of these forces on different GNSS constellation as well as different types of satellites of the same constellation have been a hot topic in recent years, which aims to improve the precision and consistency of precise orbit determination. This PhD research topic mainly focuses on the modeling of SRP modeling of GNSS satellites.
The current models, widely adopted to describe the effect of SRP on GNSS spacecraft, are analytical SRP model, empirical model and the combination of those two, i.e. the hybrid model. The performance of different models should be evaluated for special constellation or type of satellites. Based on that, the improved methods, like the optimized parameterization and modified characterization of satellites geometry and optical properties, are expected to better describe the effect of SRP on current GNSS satellites and even for the upcoming new satellites. Since precise orbit products are the fundamentals for many high-precision applications, the orbit based on the improved method would be further analyzed in connection with these applications.
