A semianalytic method of orbital propagation for mission analysis

A version of semi-analytical methods for orbital propagation, applied basically in mission analysis for close Earth satellites is presented. The method consists of the application of the Taylor series expansion, in the secular variation elements to improve the accuracy of the propagation of the mean elements of the orbit. These elements take quadratic polynomical form, where the quadratic coefficients appear as coupling of the geopotential with the other perturbations.