Date of Award

3-21-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

First Advisor

Jonathan T. Black, PhD.

Abstract

Responsive orbits have gained much attention in recent years and many AFIT theses have addressed this topic. Specifically, the following topics have been studied: phasing within an orbit, adjusting time of arrival, avoidance, and maneuver detection. This thesis seeks to determine the feasibility of maneuvering satellites from circular (600 km) orbits to eccentric (600 km by 175 km) orbits in order to collect high resolution images for Earth surveillance. Coverage is calculated for multiple 6-satellite constellations. Perturbations for the subject orbits are analyzed and compared to simulation results.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-ENY-13-M-18

DTIC Accession Number

ADA583235

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