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Overview

Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) and Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) use short-pulse lasers and state-of-the-art optical receivers and timing electronics to measure the two-way time of flight (and hence distance) from ground stations to retroreflector arrays on Earth orbiting satellites and the Moon. Scientific products derived using SLR and LLR data include precise geocentric positions and motions of ground stations, satellite orbits, components of Earth’s gravity field and their temporal variations, Earth Orientation Parameters (EOP), precise lunar ephemerides and information about the internal structure of the Moon. Laser ranging systems are already measuring the one-way distance to remote optical receivers in space and can perform very accurate time transfer between sites far apart. Laser ranging activities are organized under the International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS) which provides global satellite and lunar laser ranging data and their derived data products to support research in geodesy, geophysics, Lunar science, and fundamental constants. This includes data products that are fundamental to the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF), which is established and maintained by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS). The ILRS develops the necessary global standards/specifications for laser ranging activities and encourages international adherence to its conventions.

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Highlights

Proceedings website for the 21st International Workshop on Laser Ranging now availableRelease Date: 11/27/2018 The proceedings website for the 21st International Workshop on Laser Ranging, held November 05-09 in Canberra Australia is now available with links to presentations, posters, and papers. Summary information is also available at the website.

Dr. Toshimichi Otsubo elected Chair of the ILRS Governing BoardRelease Date: 11/27/2018 Dr. Toshimichi Otsubo from the Hitotsubashi University was elected Chair of the ILRS Governing Board for the 2019-2020 term at the Board meeting on November 08, 2018. Congratulations to Toshi.

Elections completed for the 2018-2020 term of the ILRS Governing BoardRelease Date: 10/04/2018 The ILRS recently completed elections for the 2018-2020 term of the ILRS Governing Board.

View election results...

Two additional members of the Board will be appointed by the Governing Board, bringing total membership to 18 members. The chair will be elected at a meeting of the Board held in conjunction with the 21st International Workshop on Laser Ranging in November.

Congratulations to the newly elected representatives and thank you to all the excellent candidates who participated in the ILRS Governing Board election process. We were fortunate to have many very qualified candidates.

Important dates for 21st International Workshop on Laser RangingRelease Date: 07/27/2018This is a reminder that abstract submission for the 21st International Workshop on Laser Ranging closes on Wednesday, August 01 2018. Attendees are encouraged to take advantage of the early bird registration rate before 5pm AEST, Wednesday, August 01 2018. Please visit www.iwlr2018.serc.org.au for more information and updates. Any questions should be directed to the Conference Logistics at iwlr2018 @ conlog.com.au.

Second LARGE campaign of 2018Release Date: 06/27/2018The second LARGE campaign of 2018 will take place from August 1 through October 31, 2018.

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Recent News

GRACE-FO Tracking Campaign - December 15, 2018 through January 15, 2019 - The ILRS has scheduled a tracking campaign from December 15, 2018 through January 15, 2019 for the GRACE-FO mission. During this 30-day period, the mission will be collecting data for future analysis of the performance of the inter-satellite laser ranging interferometer (LRI) under various conditions. Thus, SLR tracking is requested on a best efforts basis to support this data collection for future analysis. The ILRS will move the two satellites to the top of the ILRS priority list.

The CDDIS is currently experiencing problems with receiving data and products - The CDDIS is currently experiencing problems receiving data and derived product files from those groups that routinely submit files to our upload servers. Therefore, some recent files are missing from the archive. We are actively working on the problem and hope to have the issues with file uploads solved soon.

We apologize for the problems this is causing our user community.

The Space Geodesy Project awards contract to KBRwyle Technology Solutions, LLC - The Space Geodesy Project awarded a contract to KBRwyle Technology Solutions, LLC in Columbia, Maryland, for the construction, deployment and commissioning of the agency’s next-generation Space Geodesy Satellite Laser Ranging (SGSLR) stations. https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-awards-contract-for-space-geodesy-satellite-laser-ranging-stations

Meetings

AGU 2018 Fall Meeting, Washington, D.C., USA, December 10-14, 2018

ION Precise Time and Time Interval Meeting (PTTI), Reston, VA, USA, January 28-31, 2019

24th Working Meeting of the European VLBI Group for Geodesy and Astrometry (EVGA), March 17-19, 2019, Las Palmas (Gran Canaria), Spain

Publications

2009/2010 ILRS Report

Proceedings from the 19th International Workshop on Laser Ranging

International Laser Ranging Service

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