FAST ORBIT PROPAGATION WITHOUT SOLVING KEPLER'S EQUATION Conference Paper uri icon

abstract

  • A predictor-corrector approach is used for orbit propagation without solving Kepler's equation. The value of the eccentric anomaly is estimated under a constant time interval constraint by linear or quadratic approximations and then corrected using a single Newton-Raphson or Halley iteration. Numerical tests show that the quadratic propagation with the Halley correction has an accuracy comparable with the machine error for the elliptic and hyperbolic cases. Two very accurate approaches pushing elliptical and hyperbolic formulations to near parabolic (e.g. e = 0:99999), have been developed. The proposed method has constant complexity (it is not iterative), does not require pre-computed data, and can be implemented in just two lines of code.

published proceedings

  • SPACEFLIGHT MECHANICS 2009, VOL 134, PTS I-III

author list (cited authors)

  • Mortari, D., Davis, J., & Bruccoleri, C.

complete list of authors

  • Mortari, Daniele||Davis, Jeremy||Bruccoleri, Christian

publication date

  • December 2009