SLR residuals

The SLR residuals presented in Table 2 are due partly to orbit errors in along-track, cross-track, and radial directions, partly to measurement noise or corrections errors, and partly to systematic errors. To overcome the last error source, the coordinates of several SLR systems and their measurement range and timing biases are estimated. However, when only few measurements for a station are available, a large part of the orbit error will be absorbed by adjusting the station coordinates or estimating the measurement offsets. This results many times in the unrealistic RMS-values below 5 cm.

Evidently, the SLR residuals do not give decisive information about the radial accuracy of the computed orbit.