Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Fragment Cloud Evolution in Medium Earth Orbit

  • Original Article
  • Published:
The Journal of the Astronautical Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

There are destabilizing resonances in medium Earth orbit due to third body effects from the Sun and Moon. Objects in the region suffer a growth of eccentricity dependent on their initial conditions. This study focuses on how debris objects from a fragmentation event would interact with the chaotic dynamics of the area. The debris clouds are studied for their interactions with nearby orbits, their eccentricity growth, and how varying initial conditions of an event will change each cloud’s evolution.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
Fig. 18
Fig. 19
Fig. 20
Fig. 21
Fig. 22
Fig. 23
Fig. 24
Fig. 25
Fig. 26
Fig. 27
Fig. 28
Fig. 29
Fig. 30
Fig. 31
Fig. 32
Fig. 33
Fig. 34
Fig. 35
Fig. 36
Fig. 37

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kessler, D.J., Cour-Palais, B.G.: Collision frequency of artificial satellites: the creation of a debris belt. J. Geophys. Res. Space Phys. 83(A6), 2637–2646 (1978)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Rosengren, A.J., Alessi, E.M., Rossi, A., Valsecchi, G.B.: Chaos in navigation satellite orbits caused by the perturbed motion of the Moon. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 449, 3522–3526 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stv534

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Rossi, A., Alessi, E., Valsecchi, G., Lewis, H., Colombo, C., Anselmo, L., et al.: Disposal strategies analysis for MEO orbits. Contract No. 4000107201/12/F/MOS (2015)

  4. Ely, T.A.: Eccentricity impact on east-west station keeping for global positioning system class orbits. J. Guid. Control. Dyn. 25(2), 352–357 (2002). https://doi.org/10.2514/2.4889

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Ely, T.A., Howell, K.C.: Dynamics of artificial satellite orbits with tesseral resonances including the effects of luni-solar perturbations. Dyn. Stab. Syst. 12(4), 243–269 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1080/02681119708806247

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  6. Jenkin, A.B., Gick, R.A.: Collision risk posed to the global positioning system by disposal orbit instability. J. Spacecr. Rocket. 39(4), 532–539 (2002). https://doi.org/10.2514/2.3842

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Jenkin, A.B., Gick, R.A.: Collision risk posed to the global positioning system by disposed upper stages. J. Spacecr. Rocket. 43(6), 1412–1418 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Chao, C., Gick, R.: Long-term evolution of navigation satellite orbits: GPS/GLONASS/GALILEO. Adv. Space Res. 34(5), 1221–1226 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2003.01.021

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Johnson, N.L.: Protecting the GEO environment: policies and practices. Space Policy 15(3), 127–135 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Anselmo, L., Pardini, C.: Space debris mitigation in geosynchronous orbit. Adv. Space Res. 41(7), 1091–1099 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Pellegrino, M.M., Scheeres, D.J., Streetman, B.J.: In: First International Orbital Debris Conference (2019)

  12. Johnson, N.L., Krisko, P., Liou, J.C., Anz-Meador, P.: NASA’s new breakup model of evolve 4.0. Adv. Space Res. 28(9), 1377–1384 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Pellegrino, M.M., Scheeres, D.J., Streetman, B.J.: In: 70th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) (2019)

  14. Pellegrino, M.M., Scheeres, D.J., Streetman, B.J.: Characterizing doubly-averaged dynamical models in medium earth orbit. Acta Astronautica (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2021.12.057

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Scheeres, D.J.: Orbital Motion in Strongly Peturbed Enviornments. Springer, New York (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-03256-1

    Book  Google Scholar 

  16. Daquin, J., Rosengren, A.J., Alessi, E.M., Deleflie, F., Valsecchi, G.B., Rossi, A.: The dynamical structure of the MEO region: long-term stability, chaos, and transport. Celest. Mech. Dyn. Astron. 124(4), 335–366 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10569-015-9665-9

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  17. Steigenberger, P., Thoelert, S., Montenbruck, O.: GNSS satellite transmit power and its impact on orbit determination. J. Geodesy 92(6), 609–624 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Ostrom, C.L., Abercromby, K.: In: AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference (2017), p. 4208. https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2017-4208

  19. Alessi, E.M., Colombo, C., Rossi, A.: Phase space description of the dynamics due to the coupled effect of the planetary oblateness and the solar radiation pressure perturbations. Celest. Mech. Dyn. Astron. 131(9), 43 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10569-019-9919-z

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  20. Pellegrino, M.M., Scheeres, D.J., Streetman, B.J.: In: 8th European Conference on Space Debris (2021)

  21. Pellegrino, M.M., Scheeres, D.J., Streetman, B.J.: The feasibility of targeting chaotic regions in the GNSS regime. J. Astron. Sci. (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40295-021-00270-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, 429 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA

    Marielle Pellegrino & Daniel Scheeres

  2. The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc., 555 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Marielle Pellegrino & Brett Streetman

Authors
  1. Marielle Pellegrino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Daniel Scheeres
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Brett Streetman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marielle Pellegrino.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This article belongs to the Topical Collection: Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS 2021).

Guest Editors: Lauchie Scott, Ryan Coder, Paul Kervin, Bobby Hunt.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Pellegrino, M., Scheeres, D. & Streetman, B. Fragment Cloud Evolution in Medium Earth Orbit. J Astronaut Sci 69, 1766–1796 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40295-022-00362-8

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40295-022-00362-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation