The miniSLR: A low-budget, high-performance satellite laser ranging ground station

Abstract

Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) is an established technique providing very accurate position measurements of satellites in Earth orbit. However, despite decades of development, it remains a complex and expensive technology, which impedes its further growth to new applications and users. The miniSLR implements a complete SLR system within a small, transportable enclosure. Through this design, costs of ownership can be reduced significantly, and the process of establishing a new SLR site is greatly simplified. A number of novel technical solutions have been implemented to achieve a good laser ranging performance despite the small size and simplified design. Data from the initial six months of test operation has been used to generate a first estimation of the system performance. The data includes measurements to many of the important SLR satellites, such as Lageos, Etalon and most of the geodetic and Earth observation missions in LEO. It is shown that the miniSLR achieves sub-centimetre accuracy, comparable with conventional SLR systems. The miniSLR is an engineering station in the International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS), and supplies data to the community. Continuous efforts are undertaken to further improve the system operation and stability.