Constellation design for earth observation based on the characteristics of the satellite ground track

Abstract

This paper responds to the increasing need for Earth observation missions and deals with the design of Repeating Sun-Synchronous Constellations (RSSCs) which takes into consideration of constellations composed of one or more orbital planes. Based on the mature design approach of Repeating Sun-synchronous orbits, a novel technique to design RSSCs is presented, which takes the second gravitational zonal harmonic into consideration. In order to obtain regular cycles of observation of the Earth by a single satellite, the orbital relationships have to be satisfied firstly are illustrated. Then, by making full analyses of the characteristics of the satellite ground track, orbital parameters are properly calculated to make other satellites pass on the same or different ground track of the single satellite. Last, single-plane or multi-plane constellations are used to improve the repetitions of the observation and the ground resolution. RSSCs allow observing the same region once at the same local time in a solar day and several times at the different local time in a solar day. Therefore, this kind of constellations meets all requirements for the remote sensing applications, which need to observe the same region under the same or different visible conditions. Through various case studies, the calculation technique is successfully demonstrated.