satellite geodesy

Satellite geodesy is the measurement of the form and dimensions of the Earth, the location of objects on its surface and the figure of the Earth's gravity field by means of artificial satellite techniques—geodesy by means of artificial satellites. It belongs to the broader field of space geodesy, which also includes such techniques as geodetic very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) and lunar laser ranging. Traditional astronomical geodesy is not commonly considered a part of satellite geodesy, although there is considerable overlap between the techniques.