Browsing by Author "Du Plessis, Jan Abraham Francois"
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- ItemLow earth orbit satellite propagators(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1999-12) Du Plessis, Jan Abraham Francois; Du Plessis, J. J.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to implement an orbital propagation algorithm, which could be used for the purpose of mission planning and hardware-in- the-loop simulations for the SUNSAT microsatellite. Different propagation algorithms were investigated in order to find one for which the initial conditions for the propagator was freely obtainable and that satisfied the accuracy specification as determined by the onboard activities. The SGP4 analytical algorithm was selected for this purpose. Along with the propagation of the position of the satellite in its orbit, different models were investigated and implemented for modelling the space environment as the sensors observe it onboard the satellite. A conceptual study was performed on methods to improve the quality of the orbital predictions by the combination of sensor measurements with an orbital propagation algorithm in an extended Kalman filter. Knowledge was gained and documented in the field of astrodynamics and it was applied in a practical situation during the launch and operation of SUNSAT.