Orbits and Propagators - AGI

Diseño de Vehículos Espaciales 1DVE1‐T07‐44Why do orbits matter for design?• Orbit size determines period; they both determine lighting levels anddirections…• Lighting determines potentially available solar power…• Distance from Sun determines direct thermal load; distance from Earth orother body determines indirect IR and albedo lighting and heating…• Night‐side id flight and eclipses determine dt worst‐case thermal rates…• Geometry of nodes and inclination determines visibility and duration ofoverflights for communications…• Overflight duration determines required memory size, on‐board processingpower, and communications constraints…