Abstract
A strong relationship exists between eccentricity and the potential for an orbit that has a mean motion commensurate with the Earth’s rotation rate to be chaotic. These complex motions can signi cantly impact the east–west stationkeeping (SK) process for maintaining the repeat groundtrack property of a commensurate orbit. Orbits with characteristics that are similar to the global positioningsystem (GPS) except that their eccentricities are modestly larger are investigated. It will be shown that at eccentricities greater than » 0.01 the chaotic regions become signi cant, and the need arises for a robust stable SK approach. Furthermore, an analyticalmodel for eccentricity is developed, and the factors that contribute to its growth, thus increasing the probability of encountering chaotic motion during a typical satellite lifetime, are shown. These results are applied to selected GPS orbits. It is determined that, if the initial eccentricity is suf ciently large, then the traditional SK methods can destabilize and a more robust technique is required.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
