Orbit Computation: Prepared By: Lady Lyn M. Perez

ORBIT COMPUTATION
Prepared by:
Lady Lyn M. Perez
Kepler’s Laws
 German astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-
1630) discovered that planets moved in
elliptical orbits rather than circular orbits.
Kepler’s Laws
 All positioning of satellites today is based on the
laws of Johannes Kepler
 Kepler developed a number of theorems and laws

describing the motion of the planets in their orbits
around the sun
 These laws do, in general, also describe the

motion of a satellite orbiting around the earth
Kepler’s Laws
 Kepler’s 1st Law (The Law of Ellipses)
The orbit of each planet is an ellipse with the sun in
one of the foci.
Effect on satellites:
The orbit of a satellite is an ellipse with the
gravitational centre of the earth in one of the
foci.
Kepler’s Laws
 Kepler’s 2nd Law (The Law of Equal Areas)
The planets revolve with constant area velocity, e.g.
the radius vector of the planet sweeps out equal
areas in equal lengths of time, independent of the
location of the planet in the orbit.
Kepler’s Laws
 Satellites revolve with a constant area velocity
within the orbit.
 The speed of the satellite is not constant, but
varies with the location of the satellite in the
orbit, so the speed is higher when the satellite is
close to the earth.
Kepler’s Laws
 Kepler’s 3rd Law (The Law of Harmonies)
The relation between the square of the period, T, and
the cube of the semi major axis, a, is constant for all
planets:
Same as with satellites
The value of the constant given in the above
equation was determined several years later by
Isaac Newton (1624 - 1727) based on his work on
gravity.
Keplerian Orbit
 The idealized satellite motion caused solely by
the earth's central gravitational field is called
Keplerian motion, which may be deduced
from Newton's laws of motion and gravitation.
 A real orbit (and its elements) changes over

time due to gravitational perturbations by
other objects and the effects of relativity.
 A Keplerian orbit is merely a mathematical

approximation at a particular time
Keplerian Elements
 A particular set of parameters called the
Keplerian elements is commonly used in
satellite positioning
 An orbit is generally defined by six elements

(known as Keplerian elements) that can be
computed from position and velocity
 The future location of an object within its orbit

can be predicted and its new position and
velocity can be easily obtained from the
orbital elements
Keplerian Elements
 There are 8 elements that you need to define an orbit
(http://marine.rutgers.edu/mrs/education/class/paul/orbit
s.html).
 These elements are also called Keplerian Elements:
1. Epoch Time
2. Orbital Inclination
3. Right Ascension of Ascending Node
4. Eccentricity
5. Argument of Perigee
6. Mean Motion
7. Mean Anomaly
8. Drag (optional)
1. Epoch Time
 The first thing you need to define an orbit is the time at which
the Keplerian Elements were defined.
2. Orbital Inclination (i)

 Tells you the angle between the equator and the orbit when
looking from the center of the Earth.
 If the orbit went exactly around the equator from left to right,
then the inclination would be 0. The inclination ranges from 0
to 180 degrees.
3. Right Ascension of Ascending Node (Ω)
 The ascending node is the place where the satellite
crosses the equator while going from the Southern
Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere.
 The angle from the center of the Earth, between Aries
and the ascending node is called the right ascension of
ascending node.
 Also called the “longitude of the ascending node”

4. Eccentricity (e)
 Tells how flat the orbit is.
 If the orbit is a perfect circle, then the eccentricity is 0.
When the eccentricity is close to 1, then the orbit is very
flat
5. Argument of Perigee (ω)
 Since an orbit usually has an elliptical shape, the

satellite will be closer to the Earth at one point than at
another.
 PERIGEE - The point where the satellite is the closest to
the Earth
 APOGEE - The point where the satellite is the furthest
from the Earth
 The argument of perigee is the angle formed between
the perigee and the ascending node. If the perigee
would occur at the ascending node, the argument of
perigee would be 0.
6. Mean Motion (Δn or n)
 The mean motion tells you how fast the satellite is going.
According to Kepler's Law:
 As the satellite gets closer to the Earth, its velocity

increases. If we know how fast the satellite is going, we
also know the altitude of the satellite.
7. Mean Anomaly (v)
 Tells you where exactly the satellite is in its orbital path.
 Ranges from 0 to 360 degrees.
 The mean anomaly is referenced to the perigee. If the
satellite were at the perigee, the mean anomaly would
be 0.

Orbit Computation: Prepared By: Lady Lyn M. Perez

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Orbit Computation: Prepared By: Lady Lyn M. Perez

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ORBIT COMPUTATION

 Kepler developed a number of theorems and laws

 These laws do, in general, also describe the

 A real orbit (and its elements) changes over

 A Keplerian orbit is merely a mathematical

 An orbit is generally defined by six elements

 The future location of an object within its orbit

2. Orbital Inclination (i)

 Also called the “longitude of the ascending node”

 Since an orbit usually has an elliptical shape, the

 As the satellite gets closer to the Earth, its velocity

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