Two BeiDou-3 satellites, once plagued by puzzling orbit errors, are now operating with newfound precision thanks to a breakthrough modeling strategy. Researchers discovered that standard models underestimated how solar radiation pressure (SRP) interacted with the satellites' structure--especially those equipped with special rescue payloads. By integrating a physically informed Adjustable Box-Wing (ABW) model with the widely used extended Empirical CODE Orbit Model (ECOM2) method, they slashed laser ranging residual errors by over 60%. This hybrid strategy not only corrects the problem but also offers a flexible framework for improving orbit accuracy in real time--crucial for applications that rely on precise satellite positioning.How Scientists Fixed Orbit Errors in China's Beidou Satellites
June 17, 2025
0
Two BeiDou-3 satellites, once plagued by puzzling orbit errors, are now operating with newfound precision thanks to a breakthrough modeling strategy. Researchers discovered that standard models underestimated how solar radiation pressure (SRP) interacted with the satellites' structure--especially those equipped with special rescue payloads. By integrating a physically informed Adjustable Box-Wing (ABW) model with the widely used extended Empirical CODE Orbit Model (ECOM2) method, they slashed laser ranging residual errors by over 60%. This hybrid strategy not only corrects the problem but also offers a flexible framework for improving orbit accuracy in real time--crucial for applications that rely on precise satellite positioning.
