This book provides a sound theoretical basis for the the different gravity field recovery methods and the numerics of satellite-to-satellite tracking data. It represents lectures given at the ‘Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Autumn School’ in Bad Honnef, Germany, October 4-9, 2015. The emphasis of the school was on providing a sound theoretical basis for the different gravity field recovery methods and the numerics of data analysis. The approaches covered here are the variational equations (classical approach), the acceleration approach and the energy balance approach, all of which are used for global gravity field recovery on the basis of satellite observations. The theory of parameter estimation in satellite gravimetry and concepts for orbit determination are also included. The book guides readers through a broad range of topics in satellite gravimetry, supplemented by the necessary theoretical background and numerical examples. While it provides a comprehensive overview for those readers who are already familiar with satellite gravity data processing, it also offers an essential reference guide for graduate and undergraduate students interested in this field.

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 15. This monograph contains 34 communications presented at the Third International Symposium on the Use of Artificial Satellites for Geodesy in 1971, and 4 invited papers on subjects that complement the others and provide continuity. All contributions represent the most recent findings in the theoretical and applied fields of satellite geodesy, including new instrumentation (satellite sensors and ground equipment) of potential use in satellite geodesy. The two preceding symposiums were held at Washington, D.C., in 1962 and at Athens, Greece, in 1965. The Proceedings of the first were published by North-Holland Publishing Company, Amsterdam, in 1963, and the Proceedings of the second by the National Technical University, Athens, in 1967. The prime mover behind both was George Veis, and his continuing dedication to this subject was in large measure responsible for scheduling this third symposium.