Influence of geomagnetic field on the motion of low satellites

Abstract

The first aim of the present work is to compute a more accurate and recent model for the Earth's magnetic field. The second aim is to determine the effects of the Earth's magnetic field on the motion of a charged artificial satellite to evaluate the variations of the orbital elements of the satellite due to these effects. The magnetic field and its variation with time have been studied at different heights, longitudes and latitudes. The geomagnetic field is considered as a multiple potential field and the electrical charge of the satellite is assumed to be constant. A new computer code has been constructed to follow the components of the magnetic field in spherical harmonic models. The Gauss equations are solved numerically. The results concentrate on the computation of the numerical values of orbital perturbation for the case of a low Earth satellite. RS-1 satellite and space craft gravity probe B (GPB) are chosen as cases of studies for a detailed numerical analysis.

Equilibria of a charged artificial satellite subject to gravitational and Lorentz torques

“…Interference in scientific measurements is very common due to spacecraft charging; see references Everitt et al (2011), Worden & Everitt (2013), Nobili et al (2009), Iorio (2009) and Iorio et al (2004) and the references there in. Saad & Ismail (2010) determined the orbital effects of the Lorentz force on the motion of an electrically charged artificial satellite moving in Earth's magnetic field. The influence of the geomagnetic field manifests itself predominantly by the Lorentz force.…”