Towards a Rigorous Combination of Space Geodetic Observations for IERS Product Generation

This paper focusses on some relevant aspects when proceeding towards a rigourous combination of space geodetic observations that are addressed by the IERS Combination Research Centers at DGFI and FESG in the frame of the IERSGEOTECHNOLOGIEN project. These are in particular investigations related to the datum realization for the space geodetic solutions, the analysis and combination of SLR and VLBI data, and research activities within the IERS SINEX Combination Campaign and the IERS Combination Pilot Project.