Analytical Orbit Propagator Based on Vectorial Orbital Elements

摘要

By using the vector orbital elements, namely the specific angular momentum and the eccentricity vectors, the first order short periodic equations of motion about an oblate planet are derived through a straightforward averaging technique. The results which are obtained are expressed in a coordinate-free form, and the singularity for low eccentricities and inclinations is removed. A state transition matrix-like operator is defined, which depends on the initial conditions, which is the base for a very fast and accurate propagator of the averaged motion about an oblate planet.