Method and system for controlling the eccentricity of a near-circular orbit
AssigneeThe Aerospace Corporation
InventorGlenn E. Peterson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and system for controlling the eccentricity of a near-circular orbit are embodied in a burn controller for an orbiting object (such as a satellite) that is configured to control burns to occur at either an apogee or a perigee of the orbit to effect a desired change in the eccentricity of the orbit. These burns occur at either an apogee or a perigee of the orbit depending upon the satellite's location in the long-period motion of the argument of perigee.
Claims18
A method for controlling the eccentricity of a near-circular orbit, comprising:
- targeting stationkeeping burns for a object in a low earth orbit (LEO) to occur only at either an apogee or a perigee of the orbit depending upon motion of an eccentricity vector that points to a position in the LEO rather than to the sun.
A method for controlling the eccentricity of a near-circular orbit, comprising:
- controlling burns for an object in an orbit to occur at either an apogee or a perigee of the orbit depending upon mean eccentricity vector motion to effect a desired change in an eccentricity of the orbit.
A system for controlling the eccentricity of a near-circular orbit, comprising:
- a bum controller for an object in an orbit, the bum controller being configured to control burns to take place at an apogee or a perigee of the orbit depending upon components of a mean eccentricity vector to drive an eccentricity of the orbit to a frozen value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.