TOPEX/Poseidon End-of-Life Navigation Operations and Decommissioning Summary

Abstract

TOPEX/Poseidon was launched on August 10, 1992 and decommissioned 13 years later on October 9, 2005. Considering the satellite mission's age, its primary mission lifetime design of 5 years, and its decreasing mission budget profile, TOPEX/Poseidon posed significant navigation challenges during the latter part of its lifetime. This paper describes the navigation products and services required to maintain TOPEX/Poseidon in its operational orbit given the primary science requirement that 95% of all TOPEX/Poseidon equatorial crossings occur within +1 km of a pre-defined reference ground track. The paper also talks about the navigation strategies, the Orbital Maintenance Maneuver (OMM) history of TOPEX/Poseidon, and the TOPEX/Poseidon Orbit Transfer Maneuvers (TOTM) campaign. Finally, several cost cutting initiatives are discussed as well as the orbit disposal and decommissioning strategy. Nomenclature AOP = Argument of Perigee β' = angle between the orbital pane and Earth-Sun line e = eccentricity SAPB = Solar Array Pitch Bias SMA = Semi-Major Axis

Photon Pressure Force on Space Debris TOPEX/Poseidon Measured by Satellite Laser Ranging

“…On 9 October 2005, the satellite's pitch momentum wheel stopped functioning, which kept the spacecraft in its proper orbital orientation. On 5 January 2006 T/P was decommissioned (Paredes et al, ) concluding a 13 year mission that transformed the understanding of ocean dynamics.…”