DORIS satellite antenna maps derived from long-term residuals time series Original Research Article

Recent studies have shown that phase pattern models for the Jason-1 GPS antenna significantly benefit GPS-based precise orbit determination (POD) for the satellite. We have used a similar technique to derive DORIS receiver antenna maps, using all available DORIS tracking data over long time periods (from 1993.0 to 2004.0). We demonstrate that the derived correction models are satellite specific. For a given satellite, year-to-year estimations show clear systematic patterns. Some of these systematic patterns are attributable to the derivative of the multi-path effects in the direction of the satellite velocity. For early SPOT data, the patterns can be explained by an offset in the TAI time tagging (typically 8 μs). In a second step, we have applied the SPOT2 antenna correction models in precise orbit determination and in the positioning of ground beacons. Preliminary results on DORIS/SPOT2 show that application of the DORIS antenna maps lead to a slight improvement of the derived POD and geodetic results (typically less than 5%).