Argument of perigee correction with longitude control for inclined, eccentric, geosynchronous satellites

摘要

A method of controlling the orbit of an inclined, eccentric geosynchronous satellite by maintaining its perigee location while simultaneously preventing a reference point on the orbit from moving too far relative to a normal position over the Earth. Doing this changes the semimajor axis of the orbit, which when perturbed away from the geosynchronous value, creates a drift rate relative to the Earth. To correct the argument of perigee and maintain the prescribed tolerance on ground track position, multiple maneuvers must be performed to control the drift rate. The relationship between maximum allowable velocity change and time between maneuvers is defined by the required correction to the argument of perigee and the allowable motion of the reference point.