Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Since the launch of Seasat (1978), the first satellite to study ocean topography, our knowledge of the rise ofmean sea level has evolved. Since then, 18 additional satellites were launched, with more and more satellitemissions (up to 10 satellites are now simultaneously flying) dedicated to the measurement of the global andregional sea-surface height, carrying on board state of the art precision orbit determination tracking techniquesand instruments. Jason-3 (2016) and Sentinel-6 MF (2020) are part and parcel of these ocean topography missions. The tworeference satellites were operated in tandem (with Sentinel-6 MF flying 30 seconds behind its predecessor)between mid-December 2020 to April 2022 for calibration purposes. The main difference between these twosatellites has to do with their respective platform design. Indeed, Sentinel-6 MF solar panels are fixed on thesatellite and has an almost fixed attitude, unlike Jason-3 which has some yaw steering periods. In this study, we focus on the solar radiation pressure modeling errors of both Sentinel-6 MF and Jason-3during their tandem phase (4.5 beta cycles). The idea is to analyze the estimated empirical accelerations ofthese two satellites as a function of their beta angle. The Solar Radiation Pressure (SRP) depends only on twoparameters: the orbital angle with respect to the sub-solar point and the beta angle. We will then proposeupdates of the SRP models. The effect of the terrestrial radiative perturbations will also be assessed.
Saquet et al. (Mon,) studied this question.