With a completely new generation of low-orbiting satellites, equipped with highly precise inter-satellite and accelerometry-instrumentation observing the Earth gravitational field and its temporal variability, space geodesy has entered the 21 century. Section 1.2 had a leading role in setting up the operational processing systems for CHAMP (lauch July 2000) and GRACE (lauch March 2002) and is handling a great deal of the data preprocessing, precision orbit determination and generation of monthly gravity field solutions for both missions on a routine basis. Section 1.2 is also heavily engaged in the preparation of upcoming national (TerraSAR, Tandem-X) and European missions (GOCE, SWARM, GRACE-follow on). Section 1.2 together with Section 1.3 in addition is involved in the analysis of historical tracking data including the first GFZ geopotential satellite GFZ-1, and in the analysis of gravity data over land and oceans. By combination of different data subsets the EIGEN satellite and combination models are computed.

Section 1.2 is involved in research and development activities as well as in operational and coordination tasks for various gravity and altimetry missions and the related tracking support. Research is done primarily in support of precision orbit determination of near Earth satellites, high resolution gravity field modelling and the use of satellite altimetry for oceanography and geodetic / geophysical applications.

来源:http://www.gfz-potsdam.de/pb1/op/index_GRAM.html