On-Orbit Geometric Calibration and Performance Validation of the GaoFen-14 Stereo Mapping Satellite
Authors: Zhang Yan , Wang Tao , Zheng Tuanjie , Zhang Yongsheng , Li Lei , Yu Ying , Li Li 
Published: August 2023

The GaoFen-14 satellite is primarily utilized for global high-precision positioning and generating 1:10,000 scale geographic information products, making it one of the most accurate stereo mapping satellites in China. With a long-stitched CCD (charge couple device) consisting of nine chips for the forward view camera and six chips for the backward view camera, it is crucial to validate the satellite’s geometric performance and achieve high uncontrolled global positioning precision. In this study, two calibration models were proposed for the on-orbit calibration of the GaoFen-14 satellite: one accounting for the inter-chip geometry constraint and another without the constraint. Correspondingly, five calibration schemes (A, B, C, D, and E) were designed, with varying settings of the external calibration parameters, interior parameters, and utilization of the optical axis measurement data. Schemes A and B utilized the same set of alignment angles for the forward and backward images and differed in the set of interior calibration parameters. Scheme A took a single set of interior calibration parameters for all chips within the same view, while Scheme B set independent interior calibration parameters for each chip in both the forward and backward views considering the inter-chip geometry constraint. Schemes C, D, and E set two groups of alignment angles for the forward and backward views, respectively. In addition, Schemes C, D, and E utilized GaoFen-14′s specific real-time recording data of the optical axis, incorporating a slight revision of the alignment angle calibration value using dichotomous search. The interior models of Schemes A and C were identical, and those of Schemes B and D were the same. In comparison with scheme D, scheme E only lacks the inter-chip geometry constraint. These five schemes were taken to validate the most suitable exterior model and interior model for the GaoFen-14 satellite. Calibration experiments were conducted using original multichip images and the stitched images from the Zhongwei, Ningxia, and Songshan (Henan) test fields. Additionally, four sets of data from around the world are used to verify the calibration effect. The results demonstrated significant improvements in uncontrolled positioning accuracy for all five calibration schemes, transitioning from the 100 m level to the meter or even the submeter level. However, Schemes A and B exhibited unstable controlled positioning accuracy, with fluctuations ranging from 1 m to 5 m. In contrast, Schemes C, D, and E achieved substantial enhancements in uncontrolled positioning accuracy, maintaining stability with variations ranging from 0.94 to 1.14 m in the X direction, 0.41 to 0.48 m in the Y direction, and 0.77 to 0.81 m in the Z direction. The positions of the CCD probes obtained from Schemes C and D demonstrated consistency, with over 80% of the probes falling within 0.1 pixels, and all of the sampled probes within 0.3 pixels. However, Scheme D behaves better in describing the geometric deformation of each CCD chip and keeping the integrity of the long-stitched CCD simultaneously. These experimental results validate the GaoFen-14 satellite’s ability to achieve stable uncontrolled positioning accuracy worldwide and a stable geometric structure between multichips. For the GaoFen-14 satellite, it is more appropriate to adopt two sets of alignment angles for the forward and backward views, respectively. As the satellite’s on-orbit operation time increases, it is recommended to employ Scheme D for monitoring inconsistent local geometric deformation in future calibration work.