HEOSAT: A mean elements orbit propagator program for Highly Elliptical Orbits

TL;DR

HEOSAT is a software tool that accurately propagates the long-term evolution of Highly Elliptical Orbits by including key gravitational and non-gravitational effects, validated against numerical integration.

Contribution

It introduces a semi-analytical propagator for HEO that effectively models complex orbital dynamics with validated accuracy.

Findings

Provides accurate long-term orbit predictions for HEO.

Includes main gravitational and non-gravitational effects.

Performs well even in extreme orbital configurations.

Abstract

The algorithms used in the construction of a semi-analytical propagator for the long-term propagation of Highly Elliptical Orbits (HEO) are described. The software propagates mean elements and include the main gravitational and non-gravitational effects that may affect common HEO orbits, as, for instance, geostationary transfer orbits or Molniya orbits. Comparisons with numerical integration show that it provides good results even in extreme orbital configurations, as the case of SymbolX.