Combination and SLR validation of IGS Repro3 orbits for ITRF2020

Within the preparation for the release of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2020, the International GNSS Service (IGS) analysis centers (ACs) issued the results of the third reprocessing campaign (IGS Repro 3) of all the GNSS network solutions backwards starting from 1994. For the first time, the IGS reprocessing products include not just GPS and GLONASS, but also the Galileo constellation. In this study, we show the methodology and results of the orbit combination provided by the IGS Analysis Center Coordinator (IGS ACC) at Geoscience Australia. The quality of the provided combined orbit products was cross-checked with the individual IGS Repro3 AC contributions. The internal consistency of the individual AC solutions with the combined orbits was assessed based on the root mean square of the 3D orbit differences. In 2020, the mean consistency of the combination is at the level of 9, 23, and 15 mm for GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo, respectively. The external validation was performed using Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) observations. We proposed a novel approach to handling detector-specific biases in the results of SLR validation, reducing the standard deviation of SLR residuals by up to 15% for Galileo FOC satellites. The method is based on bias referencing to single-photon SLR stations that are not affected by the retroreflector signature effect. The proposed approach increased the internal consistency of the SLR dataset, facilitating the detection of orbit modeling issues. The standard deviation of SLR residuals of the best individual solution versus the combined equals 13/14, 15/16, 17/16, 16/16 mm for Galileo-FOC, -IOV, GLONASS-K1B, -M, respectively. Therefore, the combined solution can be considered equal or slightly better in quality compared to the best individual AC solutions. Searching for patterns in SLR residuals for different satellite-Sun-Earth geometries reveals that some issues in orbit modeling are not fully diminished for individual ACs. Eventually, we proved that the delivered combined orbit product may be considered the best solution overall. The combined solution benefits from the best individual solutions for each satellite type. Citation: Zajdel, R., Masoumi, S., Sośnica, K. et al. Combination and SLR validation of IGS Repro3 orbits for ITRF2020. J Geod 97, 87 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00190-023-01777-3