Analytical Approximate Solutions to Ground Track Adjustment for Responsive Space Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • 2016 IEEE. This paper analyzes a civilian or military responsive space mission, in which a specific Earth site needs to be visited in a short time. Approximate analytical solutions for single and dual coplanar impulsive maneuvers to move from initial circular/elliptical orbit to final circular/elliptical orbit whose ground track passes over the Earth site are provided. The problem is solved by computing the semimajor axis of the final orbit by setting the transfer time equal in terms of Kepler's equation and of Greenwich mean sidereal time (GMST). Using an unperturbed Keplerian model, a closed-form solution is obtained by solving a cubic polynomial. Then, by converting mean to osculating orbital elements, the linear J2perturbed exact overflight solutions are obtained for impulses and corresponding time instants. Moreover, the exact overflight solutions are extended when using a conical sensor. Several numerical examples with various initial and final orbits are provided to validate this approach.

published proceedings

  • IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON AEROSPACE AND ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS

author list (cited authors)

  • Zhang, G., Cao, X., & Mortari, D.

citation count

  • 19

complete list of authors

  • Zhang, Gang||Cao, Xibin||Mortari, Daniele

publication date

  • June 2016