ESTIMATION OF THE DEORBIT TIME OF SPACECRAFT AND SPACE DEBRIS FROM LEO
Ключові слова:
orbital decay, space debris, spacecraft deorbit time estimation, atmospheric drag, atmospheric density modelАнотація
The goal of this article is to develop a procedure for estimating the deorbit time of used spacecraft and space debris from a nearly circular low-Earth orbit. The paper presents, in a convenient for practical calculations form, an equation of motion of a body along a circular orbit under the action of the atmospheric drag and a given active force. At the observation stage, available online data on the orbit altitude and a model atmospheric density allow one to approximate the ballistic coefficient of the body, which is nearly always unknown in practice. At the estimation stage, the deorbit process is calculated using the approximate ballistic coefficient found previously. The deorbit time calculation error is determined as a function of the duration of the observation and estimation stages for different atmospheric models. The proposed procedure allows one to estimate the minimum acceleration to deorbit the body in a given time. The procedure is validated by calculating the deorbit time of a spacecraft whose uncontrolled flight lasted 16 years: the error is about 10 per cent of the actual deorbit time. The proposed procedure may be used in estimating the life time of space debris objects and in planning the active deorbit of spacecraft at the end of their service life. The proposed procedure may be a basis for future development with account for other interactions between an orbiting body and the space environment.
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