Analytical short-term orbit predictions withJ 3 andJ 4 in terms of KS elements

Abstract

Analytical theory for short-term orbit motion of satellite orbits with Earth's zonal harmonicsJ 3 andJ 4 is developed in terms of KS elements. Due to symmetry in KS element equations, only two of the nine equations are integrated analytically. The series expansions include terms of third power in the eccentricity. Numerical studies with two test cases reveal that orbital elements obtained from the analytical expressions match quite well with numerically integrated values during a revolution. Typically for an orbit with perigee height, eccentricity and inclination of 421.9 km, 0.17524 and 30 degrees, respectively, maximum differences of 27 and 25 cm in semimajor axis computation are noted withJ 3 andJ 4 term during a revolution. For application purposes, the analytical solutions can be used for accurate onboard computation of state vector in navigation and guidance packages.