Is a sun synchronous orbit circular?
Higher altitude satellites orbit more slowly because the circumference of the circular orbit is larger. Also, the pull of gravity is weaker at higher altitudes. When a satellite has a sun-synchronous orbit, it means that it has a constant sun illumination through inclination and altitude.
How do sun synchronous orbits work?
A Sun-synchronous orbit is achieved by having the osculating orbital plane precess (rotate) approximately one degree eastward each day with respect to the celestial sphere to keep pace with the Earth’s movement around the Sun. Sun-synchronous orbits are possible around other oblate planets, such as Mars.
Is Sun Synchronous Orbit a low Earth orbit?
Polar orbits are a type of low Earth orbit, as they are at low altitudes between 200 to 1000 km. Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) is a particular kind of polar orbit. A satellite in a Sun-synchronous orbit would usually be at an altitude of between 600 to 800 km.
What is sun synchronous orbit in remote sensing?
A Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO, also called a helio-synchronous orbit) is a nearly polar orbit around a planet, in which the satellite passes over any given point of the planet’s surface at the same local mean solar time.
What are the types of orbits?
Types of orbit
- Geostationary orbit (GEO)
- Low Earth orbit (LEO)
- Medium Earth orbit (MEO)
- Polar orbit and Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO)
- Transfer orbits and geostationary transfer orbit (GTO)
- Lagrange points (L-points)
What is the range of low Earth orbit?
A Low Earth Orbit is an orbit around earth with an altitude above Earth’s surface between 250 kilometers and 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) and an orbital period between about 84 and 127 minutes. Any objects below about 160 kilometers (or 99 miles) will experience very rapid altitude loss and orbital decay.
What is the difference between geostationary and geosynchronous orbit?
While geosynchronous satellites can have any inclination, the key difference to geostationary orbit is the fact that they lie on the same plane as the equator. Geostationary orbits fall in the same category as geosynchronous orbits, but it’s parked over the equator.
How many times does a satellite orbit the Earth in a day?
Satellites in this orbit travel at a speed of around 7.8 km per second; at this speed, a satellite takes approximately 90 minutes to circle Earth, meaning the ISS travels around Earth about 16 times a day.
What are the uses of a sun synchronous orbit?
Applications. A Sun-synchronous orbit can place a satellite in constant sunlight, which allows the solar panels to work continually. This orbit is also useful for imaging, spy, and weather satellites, because every time that the satellite is overhead, the surface illumination angle on the planet underneath it will be nearly the same.
How often does a sun synchronous satellite ascend?
For example, a satellite in Sun-synchronous orbit might ascend across the equator twelve times a day each time at approximately 15:00 mean local time. Diagram showing a Sun-synchronous orbit from a top view of the ecliptic plane with Local Solar Time (LST) zones for reference and a descending node of 10:30 am.
When to revisit the sun synchronous Rgt orbit?
The Sun-synchronous RGT orbit is investigated in the third section followed by the Bezout’s theorem and definition of subcycle. In the fifth section an innovative approach to formulate the revisit time is raised.
What do you mean by repeat ground track orbit?
The RGT ( repeat ground track) orbit is an orbit that retraces its ground track over a certain time interval [19]. Satellite missions devoted to the observation of the Earth and its climate such as those studying gravity, atmosphere, and altimetry commonly use RGT orbits [10], [8].