Low earth orbit satellite propagators

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to implement an orbital propagation algorithm,which could be used for the purpose of mission planning and hardware-in-the-loop simulations for the SUNSAT microsatellite. Different propagationalgorithms were investigated in order to find one for which the initial conditionsfor the propagator was freely obtainable and that satisfied the accuracyspecification as determined by the onboard activities. The SGP4 analyticalalgorithm was selected for this purpose.Along with the propagation of the position of the satellite in its orbit,different models were investigated and implemented for modelling the spaceenvironment as the sensors observe it onboard the satellite. A conceptualstudy was performed on methods to improve the quality of the orbital predictionsby the combination of sensor measurements with an orbital propagationalgorithm in an extended Kalman filter.Knowledge was gained and documented in the field of astrodynamics andit was applied in a practical situation during the launch and operation ofSUNSAT.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University