Centimeter level orbit determination for the TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter satellite

Considerable progress has been made in the area of precision orbit determination for altimeter satellites. The requirements of these missions vary, but orbit accuracy is generally a very high priority. In most cases, the radial orbit accuracy is at the 5-10 cm level or better, with the accuracy for some satellites specified at the few cm level. The TOPEX/POSEIDON satellite altimeter mission required an order of magnitude improvement in the orbit accuracy over previous altimeter missions and dictated a significant effort to improve force modeling, data processing strategies and tracking system accuracy. In the following discussion, the advancements in the models, procedures and tracking data for altimeter satellites are illustrated by examining the success of the TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter mission.