First geodetic VLBI sessions with the Chinese Deep Space Stations Jiamusi and Kashi

The first three 24-h S/X dual-band geodetic VLBI sessions using two new Chinese Deep Space Stations (CDSSs), Jiamusi and Kashi, and four Chinese VLBI Stations (CVSs), Beijing, Kunming, Seshan, and Urumqi were conducted with the goal of improving the two CDSSs' positions, which were previously known to a few decimeters. Due to the limited frequency ranges of Jiamusi and Kashi, different but compatible frequencies for bandwidth synthesis were set at the CDSS and CVS stations. This paper presents the scheduling, correlation and fringe fit, and geodetic analysis of the observations. Final estimates of the station positions are obtained from the global solution using 5365 international VLBI sessions from August 3, 1979 through September 29, 2015. Position estimates for Jiamusi are accurate to 23, 35, and 41 mm in the X, Y, and Z directions, respectively, and for Kashi are accurate to 10, 20, and 16 mm. Precisions of the two CDSSs' positions are improved by a factor of 5-10 over previous values, which fully satisfies the requirements of the experiments and makes the first step towards the foundation and maintenance of the time-space reference frame based on the Chinese Deep Space Network (CDSN).