Satellite Triangulation

the branch of satellite geodesy in which geodetic problems are solved on the basis of positional (angular) observations of artificial earth satellites. Such observations, which are for the most part camera observations, permit the positions of a set of points on the earth’s surface to be determined in a single system of rectangular coordinates and thus make possible the construction of a satellite triangulation network. When the distances to satellites are measured by laser ranging simultaneously with the carrying out of positional observations, the accuracy of coordinate determination is substantially increased. Geodetic constructions based on such combined observations of satellites are known as geodetic vector paths. (See alsoSPACE GEODESY.)