Dynamical uncertainty and demisability occurrence for the atmospheric re-entry of SOHO

Abstract

Re-entry trajectories to the Earth have been recently considered as a valuable end-of-life option also for Sun–Earth Libration Point Orbits (LPO) missions. In this work, we investigate in detail the case corresponding to SOHO. On the one hand, we show how the main uncertainties associated with the problem affect the probability of re-entry and the corresponding point at the interface with the atmosphere. Monte Carlo propagations are applied to different cases of uncertainties. They correspond to the orbit determination, the efficiency of the maneuver required to target the Earth, and the characteristics of the spacecraft determining the solar radiation pressure effect. On the other hand, we provide a comparison between a classical re-entry from a LEO and a hypervelocity re-entry from a LPO, in terms of area affected by the re-entry and demise percentage.