Calculation of Earth's gravitational potential using gravitational gradient measurements from the GOCE-ESA mission

Abstract

With the increasing number of geopositioning applications, more and more emphasis is being placed on the best calculation of satellite trajectories that will later be used as a reference for calculating the position of a receiving vehicle on Earth. The trajectories of the satellites are mainly determined by the total gravitational field to which they are affected, however knowing the total gravitational field is not so simple. In order to find the gravitational field surrounding the Earth, there are missions in charge of measuring the gravitational gradient 200 km high, such as the GOCE mission (Gravity eld and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer). In this work the measurements of the GOCE mission are used to determine the total gravitational potential around the Earth in an analytical way "that can be used for a better and more precise calculation of the trajectories of the satellites that orbit the Earth.