NASA CDDIS SLR: Millimeter-Precision Satellite and Lunar Ranging Data

Satellite Laser Ranging provides unambiguous range measurements with millimeter precision, the only space geodetic technique to do so directly. These normal point datasets from NASA's CDDIS support the International Laser Ranging Service in determining precise satellite orbits, station positions, and Earth system parameters. Analysis of the data contributes to the terrestrial reference frame, gravitational field modeling, and tests of General Relativity.

Use Cases

• Determining precise station positions and velocities for the ILRS network based on time-of-flight measurements.
• Modeling spatial and temporal variations of Earth's gravitational field using aggregated range measurements from a global network.
• Providing precise orbit determination for spaceborne radar altimeter missions based on unambiguous range data.
• Monitoring millimeter-level variations in Earth's center of mass (solid Earth-atmosphere-oceans) from long-term time series.
• Analyzing lunar orbit, rotation, and solid-body tides using Lunar Laser Ranging data from Apollo-era retroreflectors.

Strengths

• Provides unambiguous range measurements with millimeter precision, a unique capability among space geodetic techniques.
• Data is aggregated from a global network of stations, supporting international scientific collaboration through the ILRS.
• Supports derivation of multiple geophysical parameters, including station motion, Earth's gravity field, and center of mass variations.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and dataset sizes are not provided in the available metadata.
• Data format details are limited; files are available in ILRS or Consolidated Ranging Data (CRD) format, but structure is unspecified.
• One source indicates a future 'last updated' date (2026-04-10), which conflicts with the expectation of current data.

Provenance

Source

NASA Crustal Dynamics Data Information System (CDDIS)

Collection Method

Ground-based laser ranging measurements from a global network of stations to satellites and lunar retroreflectors.

Freshness

2026-04-10 02:15:20.869918

Geography

Global network of stations; data includes lunar measurements.