Precision satellite velocity determination using beidou with applications in satellite-based geodesy
Abstract
A method for precisely determining the absolute velocity of a space craft using Beidou system is presented. Based on present-day technology, we find that, by precisely measuring the Doppler shift of the carrier frequency from Beidou satellites, a space craft's absolute velocity can be measured with an accuracy of 1 mm/s. Such a method can be used to determine the earth's gravitational potential, acceleration and its gradient, globally and with high precision, forming a three-dimensional mapping. We also show that with a set of specially designed orbital elements, three dimension scan around earth can be realized with a single satellite.
