Evaluation of GOCE Gravity Models with SLR Orbit Tests

This report for the IAG Joint Working Group 2.3 is an assessment of various GOCE gravity field models. The GOCE models were evaluated by assessing the model performance for satellite orbit dynamics based on Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) observations. Tests show all recent GOCE and GRACE-based gravity field models perform similarly in terms of the RMS fit of the SLR observations (for all models the RMS does not differ by more than 1 cm). GOCE_TIM models perform best for many of the satellites in this particular test. The estimate of C20 is likely to be a dominant source of longwavelength gravity model error when SLR or GPS measurements are not used.