Effect of solar radiation pressure and induced librations on satellite orbits

This paper investigates the orbital motion of cylindrical satellites under the influence of solar radiation pressure. The analysis takes into account librations of satellite and the consequent change in the direction of the solar force affecting the orbital motion. The equations of motion obtained using the Lagrangian method have been solved through a simplified approximate analytical approach as well as numerical integration. The typical response results obtained using the two methods are found to be in agreement. The analytical solution is found to be quite effective in estimating the influence of various system parameters on satellite orbits. The results of this study would be particularly useful to spacecraft designers in estimating the effects of the solar radiation pressure for a proposed satellite configuration. Even the large amplitude librations excited by the solar torque, however, appear to have no significant effect on satellite orbits. Finally, the possibility of using the solar pressure for enlarging the orbital size has been explored.