ESA/ESOC - Long-term simulation of objects in high-earth orbits

This report presents the activity carried out to identify suitable long-term orbit propagators for inclusion in SDM 4.0. The analysis was basically focused on the MEO and GEO orbital regimes, comparing the results with a special perturbations approach, in order to find reasonable and generally applicable compromises of accuracy and computational speed. After having simulated GEO, GPS, Molniya and GTO orbits for one century, also including the main non-gravitational perturbations on objects with very high area-to-mass ratios, and having investigated the maximum computational speed attainable within certain accuracy constraints (in GEO, MEO and LEO), the influence of the disposal orbit eccentricity vector on the long-term preservation of the GEO protected region (IADC AI 22.1) has been evaluated. Lingua documento