Impact of Satellite Clock Corrections and Different Precise Products on GPS and Galileo Precise Point Positioning Performance
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study assesses how satellite clock products affect Precise Point Positioning (PPP) for GPS, Galileo, and GPS+Galileo. Multi-GNSS data at 30 s were processed for 12 global IGS stations over one week in 2025, with each day split into eight independent three-hour sessions. SP3 clocks (ORB, 5 min) were compared with dedicated CLKs (CLO, 5 s, 30 s, 5 min) across final (FIN), rapid (RAP), and ultra-rapid (ULT; observed/predicted) product lines from multiple analysis centers. Two timing strategies were tested: nearest-epoch sampling (CLOCK0) and linear interpolation (CLOCK1). CLO consistently delivered the lowest 2D/3D errors and the fastest convergence. ORB degraded accuracy by a few millimeters and extended convergence by ~5-10 min, most notably for GPS. With 5 min clocks, CLOCK1 yielded small gains for Galileo but often hurt GPS; with 30 s clocks, interpolation was immaterial; 5 s clocks offered no measurable benefit. FIN outperformed RAP; OPS slightly outperformed MGEX; ESA/GFZ ranked highest. ULT solutions were weaker, especially in the predicted half. Zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) biases were negligible; variance was smallest for GPS+Galileo with CLO (~7-10 mm), increased by ~1-2 mm with ORB, and was largest in ULT. Dense, high-quality clock products remain essential for reliable PPP.
Source: Sensors
DOI: 10.3390/s26020588
Authors: Damian Kiliszek, Karol Korolczuk
Institution: Military University of Technology in Warsaw
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,137
OpenAlex ID: W7124250146