Abstract

In this paper, a detailed comparative performance analysis of the two-color satellite laser ranging (SLR) systems of the Transportable Integrated Geodetic Observatory (TIGO) is presented. The study is based on four years of continuous measurement data and a comparison of two different layouts of the laser system. The focus lies on a quantitative analysis of measurement precision, range accuracy, and data production for the two laser system layouts. Main findings include a significant gain in temporal stability due to removal of active elements in the oscillator, an improvement of range measurement accuracy by a factor of 2, and an important increase in data productivity. The analysis presented here provides a valuable input for the design of future SLR systems, as well as related topics such as time transfer applications and optical communications to satellites.