Short-Term Orbit Prediction with J2 and Mean Orbital Elements

摘要

An analytical theory for calculating perturbations of the orbital elements of a satellite due to J2 to accuracy up to fourth power in eccentricity is developed. It is observed that there is significant improvement in all the orbital elements with the present theory over second-order theory. The theory is used for computing the mean orbital elements, which are found to be more accurate than provided by Bhatnagar and taqvi’s theory (up to second power in eccentricity). Mean elements have a large number of practical applications.