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http://dx.doi.org/10.5140/JASS.2008.25.2.167

Fuel Optimization for Low Earth Orbit Maintenance  

Park, Yong-Jae (Astrodynamics & Control Lab, Dept. of Astronomy, Yonsei University)
Park, Sang-Young (Astrodynamics & Control Lab, Dept. of Astronomy, Yonsei University)
Kim, Young-Rok (Astrodynamics & Control Lab, Dept. of Astronomy, Yonsei University)
Choi, Kyu-Hong (Astrodynamics & Control Lab, Dept. of Astronomy, Yonsei University)
Publication Information
Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences / v.25, no.2, 2008 , pp. 167-180 More about this Journal
Abstract
The resolution of Earth images taken from a satellite has close relation with satellite's altitude. If a satellite has lower altitude, it gets a picture having better resolution. However the satellite will be exposed to heavier air drag and will spend more fuel to maintain its altitude for a desired mission. Therefore, in this study, the required fuel to maintain very low earth orbit(LEO) with severe air drag is analyzed using optimization method such as collocation method. The required fuel to maintain the low altitude has significantly increased as the mission altitude is lowered and the solar activity is maximized. This study also shows that the fuel reduced by increasing the period of the satellite maneuver is very small, and that slightly increasing the satellite's mission altitude is much effective in reducing the amount of fuel to maintain its altitude. The calculated fuel to maintain very low earth orbit in this study would give useful information in planning the budget of fuel and cost for LEO satellites.
Keywords
low earth orbit; optical resolution; fuel optimization; altitude maintenance;
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