中国重力卫星进展

Progress on the Chinese Gravimetry Satellite Missions

  • 摘要: 全球重力场蕴涵了地球形状、物质分布及其变化的丰富时空特征信息,是反演地球内部、表面、外部物质结构及演化的基础性数据,支撑着地球物理、大气、水文、海洋、大地测量、地震等领域的研究工作,应用范围广,可挖掘潜力大。作为全球重力场测量有效手段之一,卫星重力测量技术在21世纪得到长足发展,美国联合德国等欧盟国家先后发展了挑战性小卫星有效载荷卫星、重力恢复与气候实验(gravity recovery and climate experiment,GRACE)卫星、地球重力场和海洋环流探索器卫星、GRACE继任者卫星等专门重力卫星计划。中国持续跟踪国际该领域的先进技术,逐步突破了卫星重力测量系统的各项关键技术,发射了技术完全自主的低低跟踪重力测量卫星系统,形成独立获取高精度重力场信息并构建全球重力场模型能力。另外,中国发展空间引力波探测计划,2019年底发射了“天琴一号”,检验了惯性测量基准能力;计划2027年前后发射“天琴二号”,检验激光星间测距技术,并可形成全球重力场精密测量能力。再者,中国推进卫星重力梯度测量技术发展,研制了重力梯度仪、无拖曳控制装置等,通过了地面验证试验,为重力梯度卫星研制奠定了技术基础。概要介绍了中国重力卫星技术的发展现状,分析了各卫星主要技术特征和相互之间的联系与区别,指出了卫星重力测量技术存在的问题及发展趋势,并展望后续主要发展思路,以期进一步推进中国重力测量卫星技术向前发展,更好地满足海洋、水文、地震等多领域对重力测量卫星的需求。

     

    Abstract: The Earth's gravity data encompass a lot of information, including characteristics of the Earth's shape, mass distribution, and its varying signals. As fundamental data, it is utilized in research related to geophysics, meteorology, hydrology, oceanology, geodesy, and more, demonstrating significant potential for further applications. As an effective method of observing the global gravity field, the gravity satellite missions have been developed well in this century. Some special gravity satellites such as challenging mini-satellite payload, gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE), gravity field and steady-state ocean circulation explorer (GOCE), and GRACE follow-on have been successfully injected into orbit, belonging to the USA, Germany, and the European Union. In China, the gravimetry satellite technique has been researched continually for the last 20 years, and the key techniques have been successfully broken through. The Chinese gravity satellite has been launched successfully and is observing the Earth's gravity field. Besides this, a gravity-wave observatory has been developed. As a first step, the Tianqin-1 satellite was developed in 2019, in which the accelerometer and drag-free device were tested in orbit. In the second step, the Tianqin-2 satellite is planned to launch around 2027, which will test the laser inter-satellite ranging system and be used to precisely measure the Earth's gravity. Additionally, the satellite gravity gradiometer mission is being pursued. Some key engineering models, such as the gravity gradiometer and drag-free system, have been manufactured and tested, laying the foundation for the gravity gradiometer mission. In this paper, the status of the Chinese gravity satellite is briefly introduced, followed by an analysis of the main characteristics of each gravimetry satellite and the correlations and distinctions between them. Furthermore, suggestions are made for the direction and steps to develop the satellite gravimetry mission, in order to advance satellite gravimetry techniques and better meet the needs of oceanology, hydrology, seismology, and others.

     

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