AAS 97-123

EAST-WEST STATIONKEEPING OF SATELLITE ORBITS WITH RESONANT TESSERAL HARMONICS

T. A. Ely and K. C. Howell, Purdue University

Abstract

Satellite orbits that are eccentric and inclined with near-repeating ground tracks can exhibit complex dynamical motions which are typically in resonance with multiple tesseral harmonics. Depending on the resonance, inclination and eccentricity, the tesseral interactions can produce complex motions. The motion encountered can have a significant impact on the east-west stationkeeping process. The classical stationkeeping algorithm is potentially non-convergent in complex phase space regions. A proposed new method, developed to remain stable in these regions, retains the 'grazing' strategy of the classical algorithm but adapts to the environment to ensure stability of the process.