Ballistic Coefficient Estimation for Reentry Prediction of Rocket Bodies in Eccentric Orbits Based on TLE Data
- Gondelach, D.J. 13
- Armellin, R. 3
- Lidtke, A.A. 2
-
1
University of Southampton
info
-
2
Kyushu Institute of Technology
info
-
3
University of Surrey
info
ISSN: 1024-123X
Año de publicación: 2017
Volumen: 2017
Tipo: Artículo
beta Ver similares en nube de resultadosOtras publicaciones en: Mathematical Problems in Engineering
Resumen
Spent rocket bodies in geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) pose impact risks to the Earth's surface when they reenter the Earth's atmosphere. To mitigate these risks, reentry prediction of GTO rocket bodies is required. In this paper, the reentry prediction of rocket bodies in eccentric orbits based on only Two-Line Element (TLE) data and using only ballistic coefficient (BC) estimation is assessed. The TLEs are preprocessed to filter out outliers and the BC is estimated using only semimajor axis data. The BC estimation and reentry prediction accuracy are analyzed by performing predictions for 101 rocket bodies initially in GTO and comparing with the actual reentry epoch at different times before reentry. Predictions using a single and multiple BC estimates and using state estimation by orbit determination are quantitatively compared with each other for the 101 upper stages. © 2017 David J. Gondelach et al.