Satellite telecommunications and remote sensing system based on the use of short-period sun-synchronous elliptical orbits
AssigneeAlenia Spazio S.p.A.
InventorGiorgio Perrotta
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A satellite telecommunications and remote sensing system including a plurality of satellites arranged above the Earth in short-period elliptical sun-synchronous orbits which have the following Keplerian parameters: an orbit inclination of 116.6.degree. on an equatorial plane of the Earth, a daily rotation of a nodal line of 0.9863.degree., an orbital period selected such that N orbital periods fit into M sidereal days, any desired argument of perigee and any desired value of the right ascension of the ascending node.
Claims14
A satellite telecommunications and remote sensing system comprising a plurality of satellites arranged above Earth in at least one short-period elliptical sun-synchronous orbit having the following Keplerian parameters:
- an orbit inclination of 116.6.degree. on an equatorial plane of the Earth;
- a daily rotation of a nodal line of 0.9863.degree.;
- and
- an orbital period such that N orbital periods fit into M sidereal days.
A method of providing satellite telecommunication, comprising the steps of arranging a plurality of satellites above the Earth in short-period elliptical sun-synchronous orbits having Keplerjan parameters as follows:
- an orbit inclination of 116.6.degree. on an equatorial plane of the Earth;
- a daily rotation of a nodal line of 0.9863.degree.;
- and
- an orbital period selected such that N orbital periods fit into M sidereal days;
- any desired argument of perigee;
- and any desired right ascension of the ascending node.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.