Xanthos Papanikolaou (School of Rural, Surveying and Geoinformatics Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Greece); Maria Tsakiri (School of Rural, Surveying and Geoinformatics Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Greece)

Abstract:
Non-gravitational forces play a crucial role for Precise Orbit Determination of artificial satellites and has been proven to be one of its major error sources. In addition to atmospheric drag, the other major non-gravitational forces acting on a satellite are due to radiation forces acting on its surfaces. In this work we model and investigate the effects of the Solar Radiation Pressure, Earth Radiation Pressure (albedo and infrared) and Thermal Radiation Pressure on DORIS constellation satellites and compute their respective accelerations. The objective of this study is to emphasize the importance of accurate modeling of these forces as well as the use of the satellite’s macromodel and attitude. The study displays an overview of the results of each implementation, demonstrating the differences between the modeling techniques employed and the computed accelerations.

Key words: Non-gravitational Forces, Precise Orbit Determination, Radiation Forces
Type of Participation: In person