Monthly files of ground-based Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) observation data provide unambiguous range measurements with millimeter precision. The data is collected from a global network of stations and contributed to the NASA Crustal Dynamics Data Information System (CDDIS) by the International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS) Analysis Centers.
Use Cases
- Determining satellite orbits by aggregating unambiguous range measurements from the global station network.
- Modeling temporal variations in Earth's gravitational field using millimeter-precision range data.
- Contributing to the terrestrial reference frame by analyzing time histories of station position and motion.
- Monitoring millimeter-level variations in the Earth's center of mass location.
- Providing precise orbit determination for spaceborne radar altimeter missions.
Strengths
- Provides unambiguous range measurements with millimeter precision.
- Data is aggregated from a global network of stations.
Limitations
- Data format varies between older ILRS format and newer Consolidated Ranging Data (CRD) format.
- Specific temporal coverage, row count, and file size are unknown.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA Crustal Dynamics Data Information System (CDDIS).
- Collection Method
- Observations collected from a global network of stations ranging to satellites equipped with retroreflectors.
- Time Range
- null
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Global network of stations.