Low inclination circular orbits for remote sensing satellites
This paper investigates the design methodology of low Earth inclined circular orbits for remote sensing satellites to satisfy certain mission requirements and constrains such as coverage, resolution, illumination conditions and attitude maneuvers capabilities. Although sun synchronous orbit (SSO)...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
Trans Tech Publications Ltd., Switzerland
2014
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/38402/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/38402/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/38402/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/38402/1/AMM.629.298.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/38402/4/38402_Low%20inclination%20circular%20orbits%20for%20remote%20sensing%20satellites__SCOPUS.pdf |
| Summary: | This paper investigates the design methodology of low Earth inclined circular orbits for
remote sensing satellites to satisfy certain mission requirements and constrains such as coverage,
resolution, illumination conditions and attitude maneuvers capabilities. Although sun synchronous
orbit (SSO) proved to be a good candidate for most remote sensing applications due to its constant
lighting conditions and global coverage, low inclined orbits are distinguished by long ground track
especially if the target area of concern has horizontal rectangular border. With that respect, low
inclined orbits may lead to improvement of the satellite imaging accessibility to the target area per
day or reduction of satellite revisit time compared to SSO. This paper exploits these characteristics
for low inclined orbits. The target area considered in simulation is between 220 and 320 N latitude
lines with 2.5 m ground sample resolution. The satellite maximum rolling capability is 350 and the
sun elevation angle is constrained between 300 and 700 for purpose of maximizing the quality of the
obtained images. Matlab and STK software are employed to define the initial orbital parameters to
meet these conditions for a low inclined orbit. |
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