Open loop tracking in 1 st Chinese Mars exploration mission: Yinghuo-1 Martian orbiter

The first Chinees Mars Probe, Yinghuo-1, is planned to launch in October 2009, together with the Russia Phobos-Grunt landing mission. YH-1 will explore the space weather of the Mars, and test the the deep space communication and navigation techniques. Difference from common deep space probe, the astronomical Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), open loop tracking method, like DOR/DOR, seam beam VLBI and 1-way Doppler, will be used to determine the s/c orbit and position.