For many applications of low-altitude spacecraft, it is important to know how often the spacecraft revisits a given target. Average revisits per day can be calculated for a given scenario using astrodynamic software, but that approach can be tedious if a large number of cases are to be compared. This paper develops a closed-form, continuous, and piecewise differentiable function that gives average revisits per day as a function of orbit altitude, orbit inclination, target latitude, and minimum required elevation. The function is compared with the results of astrodynamic simulations and shown to be accurate to within 0.08 passes per day and 1% in almost all cases. It allows instant calculation of an excellent approximation of this important performance parameter and could be used as part of an optimization routine. The convenience and flexibility provided by this function are demonstrated in a series of charts showing passes per day as a function of one, two, and three variables. The function assumes a circular orbit; the sensitivity of the result to eccentricity is explored using astrodynamic simulations and is found to decrease by 5.3% as eccentricity increases to 0.07 for a typical case.


    Zugriff

    Zugriff prüfen

    Verfügbarkeit in meiner Bibliothek prüfen

    Bestellung bei Subito €


    Exportieren, teilen und zitieren



    Titel :

    Closed-Form Approximation of Revisit Rate for Low-Altitude Satellites


    Beteiligte:

    Erschienen in:

    Erscheinungsdatum :

    2013-05-06


    Format / Umfang :

    12 pages




    Medientyp :

    Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)


    Format :

    Elektronische Ressource


    Sprache :

    Englisch






    Application of altitude control techniques for low altitude earth satellites

    Nickerson, K. G. / Herder, R. W. / Glass, A. B. et al. | NTRS | 1977


    Current leakage for low altitude satellites

    McCoy, J. / Konradi, A. / Garriott, O.K. | Tema Archiv | 1979


    Revisit Pass-by Rate for Retail Use

    Lan, C.-J. / Institute of Transportation Engineers | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2010