NASA CDDIS SLR: Ground-Based Satellite Ranging Normal and Full-Rate Data

Satellite Laser Ranging provides unambiguous range measurements with millimeter precision, the only space geodetic technique to do so directly. Analysis of these hourly and daily observation files contributes to the terrestrial reference frame, Earth's gravitational field modeling, and monitoring of the Earth's center of mass. Data from a global network of stations supports precise orbit determination and tests of General Relativity.

Use Cases

• Precise orbit determination for spaceborne radar altimeter missions based on unambiguous range measurements.
• Monitoring millimeter-level variations in the Earth's center of mass location to study solid Earth-atmosphere-ocean interactions.
• Producing time histories of station position and motion for the International Laser Ranging Service network.
• Contributing to sub-nanosecond global time transfer and tests of the Theory of General Relativity.
• Modeling spatial and temporal variations of the Earth's gravitational field from aggregated global network data.

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 geodetic products.
• Available in both consolidated (CRD) and legacy ILRS data formats, catering to different user needs.

Limitations

• Specific column names and data structure details are not provided in the available metadata.
• One source lists a last updated date in the future (2026-04-10), indicating potential metadata inconsistency.
• The exact temporal coverage and volume (row count, file size) of the dataset are not specified.

Provenance

Source

NASA Crustal Dynamics Data Information System (CDDIS)

Collection Method

Ground-based Satellite Laser Ranging observations collected by a global network of stations.

Freshness

2026-04-10 02:15:31.551250 (Note: This is a future date, indicating a potential metadata error)

Geography

Global, from the International Laser Ranging Service network of stations.