Analysis and prediction of Tiangong-1 reentry
Abstract
Chinese officials confirmed in 2016 that they had lost control of they first space station Tiangong-1 and it would crash to Earth at the end of 2017 or in the beginning of 2018. The researchers can not say exactly the decaying data, because the artificial satellite's motion depend from many parameters. The motion of the satellite proceeds in the field of action of various forces that are shaping its trajectory. The most important perturbation is due to the force of gravitation, then the atmospheric drag is the major enemy of the satellite. The other major perturbation to the orbit of a near satellite is the effect of the earth's oblateness, which causes the orbital plane of the satellite to rotate about the earth's axis. The simplest equations of motion are given to specify the evolution of the Tiangong-1 satellite orbit under the action of atmospheric drag and effect of oblateness of Earth. Numerical results presented the simulation of satellite motion till satellite collapses on Earth, emphasizing how difficult is to predict the moment and the location of the Tiangong-1 space debris fall.
- Publication:
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Romanian Astronomical Journal
- Pub Date:
- December 2017
- Bibcode:
- 2017RoAJ...27..241S
- Keywords:
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- space debris;
- space station;
- artificial satellite;
- trajectory