High-Accuracy Clock Offsets Estimation Strategy of BDS-3 Using Multi-Source Observations

Abstract

Satellite clock offsets are the critical parameters for The Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs) to provide position and timing (PNT) service. Unlike other GNSSs, BDS-3 uses the two-way superimposition strategy to measure satellite clock offsets. However, affected by some deficiencies of the two-way superimposition strategy, the accuracy of BDS-3 clock offsets parameters is 1.29 ns (RMS), which is the main bottleneck for BDS-3 to improve its space signal accuracy. After analyzing problems in the clock offsets measurement process of BDS-3, the paper proposes a new strategy to real-time estimate high-accuracy satellite clock offsets. The clock offsets estimated by the new strategy show a good consistency with GBM clock offsets. The averaged STD of their differences in MEO is 0.14 ns, and the clock offsets estimated by the new strategy present less fluctuation in the 1-day fitting residuals. Applying the new clock offsets to prediction, BDS-3 can reduce its clock offsets errors from 1.05 ns to 0.29 ns (RMS), about 72%. The above results indicate that the new clock offsets estimated strategy can improve the accuracy of clock offsets parameters of BDS-3 effectively.