Research on Improvement of Orbit Determination Accuracy by Satellite-to-Satellite Tracking in Inter-Satellite Radio Occultation Observation Mission to Venus

Abstract

The detailed atmospheric structures of Venus have not been clarified because thick clouds prevent us from investigating them through optical measurements. A mission to explore the Venusian atmosphere globally and frequently using intersatellite radio occultation observation is under consideration. It enables us to retrieve vertical pressure and temperature profiles globally in a short term. This study evaluates the accuracy of orbit determination for this mission. Sensitivity analysis is performed for parameters such as orbital elements and satellite-to-satellite tracking (SST) accuracy. The result shows that the difference in orbital planes between the mother and the daughter satellites significantly improves the accuracy of orbit determination. The result indicates that the orbit determination accuracy is better as SST is more precise, but it does not have as much influence as the orbit plane does.