Frozen orbit

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In the orbital mechanics a is frozen orbit (engl. Frozen Orbit ) a satellite orbit , wherein the natural drift produced by the earth's shape carefully selected path parameter is minimized. Typically this is an orbit in which the altitude at a certain point in the orbit remains the same over a long period of time. Changes in the orbit inclination , the argument of the perigee , and the eccentricity are minimized by the selection of starting values ​​in such a way that their disturbances cancel each other out. This creates a long-term stable orbit with reduced fuel requirements to compensate for orbital disruptions.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ C. David Eagle: Frozen Orbit Design (PDF; 15 kB) In: Orbital Mechanics with Numerit . Archived from the original on November 21, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
  2. ↑ Vladimir A Chobotov: Orbital Mechanics (3rd Edition) . American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2002, p. 221.