BDS Orbit Maneuver Detection Based on Epoch-Updated Orbits Estimated by SRIF

Abstract

The orbit maneuver detection is crucial in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) precise orbit determination, which is necessary for adjusting data processing strategies. The frequency of orbit maneuvers for the BeiDou Navigation System is significantly higher than that of other navigation systems, especially for geosynchronous orbit (GEO) and inclined geosynchronous orbit (IGSO) satellites. We propose a novel real-time and postprocessing method for detecting orbit maneuvers for BeiDou satellites based on the orbit differences between the epoch-updated orbit estimated using square root information (SRIF) and the predicted orbit according to the precise orbit estimated during non-maneuver period, as well as the orbital state difference during maneuver and non-maneuver periods. This method has significant advantages over using observation residuals and it is not affected by observation outliers, thus improving the accuracy and timeliness of orbit maneuver detection. We demonstrated that 32 orbit maneuver events of BeiDou satellites were successfully detected in 2022, of which 1 was for medium Earth orbit (MEO), 7 were for IGSO with an average detected maneuvering time of 7–8 min, and 24 were for GEO satellites with an average detected time of 4–5 min. Moreover, our method can be easily integrated into current real-time filter-based precise orbit determination (POD) processing without any extra task line, which simplifies the overall data processing. The data used in this method can be accessed easily, including GNSS observation data, broadcast ephemeris, and other open-source information files.