FROM ORDER TO CHAOS IN EARTH SATELLITE ORBITS

@article{Gkolias2016FROMOT,  title={FROM ORDER TO CHAOS IN EARTH SATELLITE ORBITS},  author={Ioannis Gkolias and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Daquin and Fabien Gachet and Aaron J. Rosengren},  journal={The Astronomical Journal},  year={2016},  volume={152},  url={https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:55672308}}
We consider Earth satellite orbits in the range of semimajor axes where the perturbing effects of Earth’s oblateness and lunisolar gravity are of comparable order. This range covers the medium-Earth orbits (MEO) of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems and the geosynchronous orbits (GEO) of the communication satellites. We recall a secular and quadrupolar model, based on the Milankovitch vector formulation of perturbation theory, which governs the long-term orbital evolution subject to the… 

Figures from this paper

35 Citations

Secular dynamics of navigation satellites in the MEO and GSO regions

In this study, a dynamical model is developed to describe the secular evolution of navigation satellites under the geocentric reference frame with the Laplace orbit as the fundamental plane. The…

Nekhoroshev estimates for the orbital stability of Earth’s satellites

We provide stability estimates, obtained by implementing the Nekhoroshev theorem, in reference to the orbital motion of a small body (satellite or space debris) around the Earth. We consider a…

Uncontrolled geostationary satellites: mapping periodic transitions to chaos with Lagrangian Descriptors

Uncontrolled geostationary satellites abandoned near an unstable equilibrium point of the equator experience irregular transitions between dynamical states (continuous circulation, long and short…

Medium Earth Orbit Secular Resonances and Navigation Satellites

Abstract Inclination-only dependent lunisolar resonances shape the dynamics of MEO (Medium Earth Orbit) objects over secular time scales (i.e. several decades). Their main effect is to increase an…

Dynamics of Resonances and Equilibria of Low Earth Objects

This work focuses on the existence of equilibria and the dynamics of resonances in LEO, and makes a qualitative study of the resonances and the equilibrium positions, including their location and stability.

Dynamical properties of the Molniya satellite constellation: long-term evolution of the semi-major axis

We describe the phase space structures related to the semi-major axis of Molniya-like satellites subject to tesseral and lunisolar resonances. In particular, the questions answered in this…

36 References

Chaos in navigation satellite orbits caused by the perturbed motion of the Moon

ABSTRACT Numerical simulations carried out over the past decade suggest that the orbits of the GlobalNavigation Satellite Systems are unstable, resulting in an apparent chaotic growth of the…

Why do Earth satellites stay up

Satellites in low Earth orbits must accurately conserve their orbital eccentricity, since a decrease in perigee of only 5–10% would cause them to crash. However, these satellites are subject to…

Bifurcation of Lunisolar Secular Resonances for Space Debris Orbits

This work studies the birth of periodic orbits and determines the energy thresholds at which the bifurcations of lunisolar secular resonances take place, which gives physically relevant information on the existence and location of the equilibria, which help to identify stable and unstable regions in the phase space.

Diffusive chaos in navigation satellites orbits

The navigation satellite constellations in medium-Earth orbit exist in a background of third-body secular resonances stemming from the perturbing gravitational effects of the Moon and the Sun. The…

The dynamical structure of the MEO region: long-term stability, chaos, and transport

It has long been suspected that the Global Navigation Satellite Systems exist in a background of complex resonances and chaotic motion; yet, the precise dynamical character of these phenomena remains…

STABILITY OF THE DISTANT SATELLITES OF THE GIANT PLANETS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

We conduct a systematic survey of the regions in which distant satellites can orbit stably around the four giant planets in the solar system, using orbital integrations of up to 109 yr. In contrast…

SATELLITE DYNAMICS ON THE LAPLACE SURFACE

The orbital dynamics of most planetary satellites is governed by the quadrupole moment from the equatorial bulge of the host planet and the tidal field from the Sun. On the Laplace surface, the…

Balanced earth satellite orbits

An analytic model for third-body perturbations and for the second zonal harmonic of the central body's gravitational field is presented. A simplified version of this model applied to the…

Origin and evolution of the natural satellites

The natural satellites of planets in the solar system display a rich variety of orbital configurations and surface characteristics that have intrigued astronomers, physicists, and mathematicians for…

Related Papers

Showing 1 through 3 of 0 Related Papers