Resonant dynamics of Medium Earth Orbits: space debris issues

The Medium Earth Orbit region is the home of the navigation constellations. It is shown how the orbits of these constellations of satellites are strongly affected by the so-called inclination dependent luni-solar resonances. The analytical theory of these resonances is recalled and a large set of numerical integrations is used to investigate the stability of the orbits of the constellations over very long time spans. The stability issue is important in the definition of possible disposal strategies for the constellation spacecraft, after their end-of-life. Two possible disposal strategies are envisaged involving either stable or unstable orbits (from the eccentricity growth point of view). In particular it is shown how, to have disposal orbits with moderately short lifetime (of the orders of 40–50 years), a very large disposal maneuver would be required to rise the inital eccentricity to values above  ~ 0.3.

[1]  Sławomir Breiter,et al.  Lunisolar Resonances Revisited , 2001 .

[2]  H. Klinkrad.  Space Debris: Models and Risk Analysis , 2006 .

[3]  Alessandro Rossi,et al.  Collision risk against space debris in Earth orbits , 2006 .

[4]  Long-Period Variations of the Eccentricity Vector Valid also for Near Circular Orbits around a Non-Spherical Body , 2006 .

[5]  Alessandro Rossi.  Energetic Cost and Viability of the Proposed Space Debris Mitigation Measures , 2002 .

[6]  S. Breiter.  Lunisolar Apsidal Resonances at low Satellite Orbits , 1999 .

[7]  An Analytical Solution of the Lagrange Equations Valid also for Very Low Eccentricities: Influence of a Central Potential , 2006 .

[8]  R. A. Gick,et al.  Long-term evolution of navigation satellite orbits: GPS/GLONASS/GALILEO , 2004 .

[9]  Florent Deleflie,et al.  Long term evolution of the Galileo constellation due to gravitational forces , 2005 .

[10]  N. Smirnov,et al.  Space debris : hazard evaluation and mitigation , 2002 .

[11]  A. Rossi,et al.  THE EARTH ORBITING SPACE DEBRIS , 2005 .

[12]  S. Hughes,et al.  Earth satellite orbits with resonant lunisolar perturbations I. Resonances dependent only on inclination , 1980, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

[13]  G. S. Gedeon,et al.  Tesseral resonance effects on satellite orbits , 1969 .

[14]  A. Sochilina.  On the motion of a satellite in resonance with its rotating planet , 1982 .

[15]  On the coupling of lunisolar resonances for Earth satellite orbits , 2001 .

[16]  W. M. Kaula.  Theory of satellite geodesy , 1966 .

[17]  Alan B. Jenkin,et al.  Collision Risk Posed to the Global Positioning System by Disposal Orbit Instability , 2002 .

[18]  Vladimir A. Chobotov,et al.  Orbital Mechanics, Third Edition , 2002 .

[19]  S. Hughes,et al.  Earth satellite orbits with resonant lunisolar perturbations - II. Some resonances dependent on the semi-major axis, eccentricity and inclination , 1981, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

[20]  A. B. Jenkin,et al.  Dilution of Disposal Orbit Collision Risk for the Medium Earth Orbit Constellations , 2005 .