Precision orbit determination for geodetic applications requires force models even for small perturbations. Radiation from the Sun and Moon is a significant source of perturbation in lunar orbits and inadequate modeling of radiation pressure (RP) can lead to large position errors
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Precision orbit determination for geodetic applications requires force models even for small perturbations. Radiation from the Sun and Moon is a significant source of perturbation in lunar orbits and inadequate modeling of radiation pressure (RP) can lead to large position errors. This paper describes the short-term effect of RP on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which has a position knowledge requirement of 50 m to 100 m in total and below 1 m radially. We compared models of varying complexity to determine the benefits and computational cost of high-accuracy RP modeling. We found that (1) the accelerations differ greatly depending on the Sun position, (2) only a paneled spacecraft model can account properly for changing orientation and geometry of LRO, and (3) a constant-albedo model is sufficient for lunar radiation, which is dominated by the thermal component. A spherical harmonics model for lunar albedo increases computational cost with little gain in the attained accuracy. If RP is neglected, the along-track position errors can be as large as 1100 m and the radial error varies periodically with an amplitude of up to 24 m, highlighting the importance of adequate force modeling to meet LRO's orbit determination requirements.