Here's a recent publication from JPL on UT1-UTC earth observation parameter 
extraction:

Nikki A. Zivkov, Durgadas S. Bagri, Konstantin V. Belov, Christopher S. Jacobs, 
Gabor E. Lanyi, Charles J. Naudet, and Alexander S. Tolstov. Extracting the 
UT1-UTC Earth Orientation Parameter from VLBA Multi-baseline Observing Sessions 
in the VGOS Database. The Interplanetary Network Progress Report, Volume 
42-234, pp. 1-13, August 15, 2023. 
https://ipnpr.jpl.nasa.gov/progress_report/42-234/42-234B.pdf

For the SunRISE mission, we upload Earth Orientation files periodically.


-----Original Message-----
From: Leap Second Discussion List <leapsecs@leapsecond.com>
Sent: Jan 3, 2024 9:38 PM
To: Leap Second Discussion List <leapsecs@leapsecond.com>
Subject: Re: [LEAPSECS] UT1 offset

Hello all:
A couple of days ago, I started to draft a response to the question raised but 
got waylaid. I think others have already address the issue fairly well but 
here's my reply for the record (a bit long-winded):

Earth orientation data are provided in the new(ish) GPS CNAV navigation message 
structure and is documented in IGS-IS-200 (as already point out). They are only 
needed by those working in the ECI (Earth-Centred Inertial) frame. That leaves 
out the majority of GPS users. If you are doing orbit integration to improve 
the orbits of the GPS satellites you might benefit from this data. But I wonder 
who in the academic community, for example, is actualy using this information 
in the CNAV messages. I might enquire of some colleagues. By the way, GPS and 
the other GNSS are used daily (using mostly IGS archived data) to actually 
determine very accurate Earth orientation data, which is used by the IERS to 
create data files for Earth rotation/orientation researchers. I used to be one 
of them. ;-)

30.3.3.5 Message Type 32 Earth Orientation Parameters (EOP)
The earth orientation parameters are provided in Message Type 32. The 
parameters are defined below, followed by material pertinent to the use of the 
data.

...

30.3.3.5.1 EOP Content
Message Type 32, Figure 30-5, provides SV clock correction parameters (ref. 
Section 30.3.3.2) and earth orientation parameters. The EOP message provides 
users with parameters to construct the ECEF and ECI coordinate transformation 
(a simple transformation method is defined in Section 20.3.3.4.3.3.2). The 
number of bits, scale factors (LSBs), the range, and the units of all EOP 
fields of Message Type 32 are given in Table 30-VII.

30.3.3.5.1.1 User Algorithm for Application of the EOP
The EOP fields in the Message Type 32 contain the EOP data needed to construct 
the ECEF-to-ECI coordinate transformation. The user computes the ECEF position 
of the SV antenna phase center using the equations shown in Table 30-II. The 
full coordinate transformation for translating to the corresponding ECI SV 
antenna phase center
position may be accomplished in accordance with the computations detailed in 
Chapter 5 of IERS Technical Note 36: IERS Conventions (2010) and equations for 
UT1, xp and yp as documented in Table 30-VIII. For UT1, Table 30-VIII documents 
the relationship between GPS time and UT1 with &Delta;UTGPS and &Delta;U̇ TGPS. 
Users who may need &Delta;UT1 (UT1-UTC) as detailed in Chapter 5 of IERS 
Technical Note 36: IERS Conventions (2010) can calculate this parameter from 
UT1-UTC, or more accurately as (UT1-GPS) + (GPS-UTC), using intermediate 
quantities (UT1-GPS) and (GPS-UTC) which are produced during calculation of UT1 
and UTC. Figure 5.1 on page 73 of that document depicts the computational flow 
starting from GCRS (Geocentric Celestial Reference System) to ITRS 
(International Terrestrial Reference System). Ongoing WGS 84 re-adjustment at 
NGA and incorporating the 2010 IERS Conventions, are expected to bring Earth 
based coordinate agreement to within 2 cm. In the context of the Conventions, 
the user may as a matter of convenience choose to implement the transformation 
computations via either the "Celestial Intermediate Origin (CIO) based 
approach&rdquo; or the &ldquo;Equinox based approach&rdquo;. The EOPs are used 
to calculate UT1 (applied in the "Rotation to terrestrial system" process) and 
the polar motion parameters, xp and yp (applied in the "Rotation for polar 
motion" process). Details of the calculation are given in Table 30-VIII.

-- Richard Langley

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Richard B. Langley                            E-mail: l...@unb.ca         |
| Geodetic Research Laboratory                  Web: http://gge.unb.ca      |
| Dept. of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering    Phone:    +1 506 453-5142   |
| University of New Brunswick                                               |
| Fredericton, N.B., Canada  E3B 5A3                                        |
|        Fredericton?  Where's that?  See: http://www.fredericton.ca/       |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

________________________________________
From: LEAPSECS on behalf of Tom Van Baak
Sent: January 2, 2024 10:44 AM
To: Leap Second Discussion List
Subject: Re: [LEAPSECS] UT1 offset

✉External message: Use caution.


Hi Mike,

> the system needs an estimate of current UT1

Can you give some references to your observation? I don't recall seeing UT1 
mentioned in the first couple of decades of GPS documentation. The system runs 
on GPS time, the WGS84 coordinate system, broadcast ephemeris including SV 
clock corrections. Where does UT1 appear in those?

> That estimate is applied internally so the end user does not need to know the 
> details

Right, the user is shielded from many details. But I didn't think even GPS 
receivers had knowledge of UT1, nor the satellites themselves. So where in "the 
system" does UT1 apply?

Thanks,
/tvb

On 12/28/2023 1:23 AM, Mike Hapgood - STFC UKRI via LEAPSECS wrote:
Jim outlines a calculation I've done many times. But there's a similar 
calculation for GNSS systems (GPS, Galileo, Beidou, etc). If you want to use 
GNSS to determine positions on Earth's surface to accuracy of a few metres, the 
system needs an estimate of current UT1 accurate at least to a few 
milliseconds. That estimate is applied internally so the end user does not need 
to know the details, just as that user does not need to know about the 
relativistic clock corrections or corrections for ionospheric signal delay that 
also underpin safe use of GPS. But the bottom line is that knowledge of UT1 
(i.e. the spin phase of the Earth) is essential for GNSS - and many other space 
systems.

Mike

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