Characterization of the Effects of a Sun-Synchronous Orbit Slot Architecture on the Earth's Orbital Debris Environment
Low Earth orbit represents a valuable limited natural resource. Of particular interest are sun-synchronous orbits; it is estimated that approximately 44% of low Earth satellites are sun-synchronous. A previously developed sun-synchronous orbit slot architecture is considered. An in-depth analysis of...
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| Format: | Others |
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DigitalCommons@CalPoly
2013
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| Online Access: | https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/1026 https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2121&context=theses |
| Summary: | Low Earth orbit represents a valuable limited natural resource. Of particular interest are sun-synchronous orbits; it is estimated that approximately 44% of low Earth satellites are sun-synchronous. A previously developed sun-synchronous orbit slot architecture is considered. An in-depth analysis of the relative motion between satellites and their corresponding slots is performed. The long-term evolution of Earth's orbital environment is modeled by a set of coupled ordinary differential equations. A metric for quantifying the benefit, if any, of implementing a sun-synchronous architecture is developed. The results indicate that the proposed slot architecture would reduce the frequency of collisions between satellites in sun-synchronous orbits. |
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