The std2400 orbits are SLR+DORIS-based orbits for the TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, Jason-2, Jason-3 and Sentinel-6A satellites computed by NASA/GSFC Analysis Center for IDS using the std2400 POD standards.
These precise orbits are in the sp3 format (see description at this page) and are available at IDS Data Centers. The conventions of the Copernicus POD group regarding the format of the sp3 files for these LEO satellites is applied. The satellite position field is written out with the format" (4x,3f14.7). This provides extra precision for the position down to 0.1 mm for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.
DOI, metadata and licence
This product is referenced with a DOI: 10.24400/312072/i01-2025.001
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Product access
The product (zipped SP3 files gscsssVV.bXXDDD.eYYEEE.D_S.sp3.LLL.Z; see naming convention) can be freely downloaded at the CDDIS HTTPS server or via the non authenticated IGN FTP site (ftp://doris.ign.fr/pub/doris/products/orbits/gsc/ ; note that the FTP protocol may not be supported by your browser, the alternative is to use a FTP client such as WinSCP, FileZilla, MobaXterm ).
Citation
If you use the product, please cite: "The std2400 orbits for TOPEX/Poseidon, Jasons 1,2,3 and Sentinel-6A is produced by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S.A, and distributed by the International DORIS Service (DOI: 10.24400/312072/i01-2025.001)"
Contacts
For any technical issues or additional information related to the GSC std2400 orbits, users are advised to contact: Frank Lemoine or Nikita Zelensky
Acknowledgement
The std2400 precise orbits were produced under the auspices of the Ocean Surface Topography Science Team (OSTST).
The work was supported by the Sentinel-6A project.
The authors acknowledge the International DORIS Service (IDS), the International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS), and the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) for the data and products used to develop this series of orbits.
References
- The orbits were computed using the NASA Precise Orbit Determination and Geophysical Parameter estimation software (Nicholas et al., 2025. DOI: 10.22541/essoar.174051780.04684918/v1).
- The detailed standards for the NASA GSFC orbits are given in the following configuration document: std2400_orbit_standards_DORIS+SLR_NASA_GSFC
- Version numbers of the sp3 sets are explained in a readme file available at IDS Data Centers: CDDIS (authenticated https) and IGN (ftp://doris.ign.fr/pub/doris/products/orbits/gsc/README_SP3_GSC.txt)