Geosynchronous Satellite Perturbations Due to Earth's Triaxiality and Luni-Solar Effects

Abstract

Geosynchronous satellite perturbations are developed in terms of equinoctial orbital elements. The Earth's triaxiality effect is represented by zonal and tesseral harmonics up to J33 coefficients. Lunar motion is represented by the Hill-Brown theory with coefficients up to 10 ~3 rad. The solar motion is described by an elliptic orbit expansion with terms up to 10 ~4 rad. The equations of motion are described by a Hamiltonian system that leads to three decoupled sets of simple-pendul um equations with forced oscillations. The basic periods of these forced oscillations are essentially the satellite-diurnal, lunar-monthly, solar-yearly, lunar perigee 8.9-year progression and lunar node 18.6-year regression.