OPTIMAL ECCENTRICITY VECTOR FOR GEOSYNCHRONOUS SATELLITE DISPOSAL

摘要

In order to avoid potential collisions, geosynchronous satellites are frequently disposed of when their end-of-life is reached. Studies have found that by targeting the eccentricity vector to point at the Sun, the 100-year perigee altitude time history of a disposed GEO satellite stays consistently higher above GEO than it otherwise would possibly by up to 40-50 km. However, an additional improvement can be had if an optimal eccentricity vector is targeted that is close to, but not directly at, the sun-pointing direction. Following the optimal vector can increase the clearance by an additional 0-20 km. This study determines the dominant perturbations (solar radiation and lunar gravity) that influence the solution, and presents an approximate expression for the optimal vector.