Ocean-tide parameters from the simultaneous long-period analysis of the orbits of Starlette and Stella

Abstract. The orbits of two geodetic satellites, Starlette and Stella, have been analysed in order to determine ocean-tide parameters. The orbit of Starlette has been determined over a three-year period and Stella over a one-year period. Long-period analysis techniques have been used to determine the evolutions of the orbital inclination, eccentricity and right ascension of the ascending node for each satellite due to ocean tides. The ocean-tide parameters have been determined in a simultaneous fitting of the theoretical orbital variations to the observed variations. The results are compared with ocean-tide models.