Determination of Resonance terms using Optical Observations of Two Meteosat Satellites

Abstract

AbstractDuring an observation campaign in winter 94/95 astrometric positions from Meteosat 4 and 5 were acquired at the Zimmerwald observatory using a CCD camera mounted in the prime focus of the 0.5 m Satellite Laser Ranging telescope. The measurements cover a time interval of four months, their precision is of the order of .The modeling of radiation pressure for the small, cylindrically shaped satellites is relatively easy and they are therefore excellent objects to probe the geopotential. The orbital parameters and the radiation pressure coefficients for the two satellites as well as the resonant coefficients C22, S22 of the geopotential were determined by a single least square adjustment procedure including all the Zimmerwald observations. The relative errors estimated for the terms C22 and S22 are of the order of 1 ÷ 3 · 10−4.