Long-term prediction of satellite motion using vectorial orbital elements
Abstract
The application of the averaging method to the long-term prediction of satellite motion is demonstrated using a new nonsingular element set called vectorial orbital elements. Two important problems are theoretically examined and solved: the time-dependent perturbations (third body and primary body tesseral harmonics) and the order epsilon-3 neglected terms (drag). The efficiency of the proposed solutions is confirmed using numerical tests for different orbit types. The CPU time improvement between high-precision and averaged integrations is a factor of 50 for low orbits and five for high orbits, when Gauss-Legendre numerical quadratures are used. First results are given for earth zonal perturbations up to degree four and for third body perturbations up to order four.
- Publication:
-
AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Conference
- Pub Date:
- August 1985
- Bibcode:
- 1985asdy.conf.....G
- Keywords:
-
- Astrodynamics;
- Orbital Elements;
- Prediction Analysis Techniques;
- Satellite Orbits;
- Perturbation Theory;
- Satellite Drag;
- Time Dependence;
- Vector Analysis;
- Astrodynamics