Satellite Communication

EE-447

Lecture # 04
 Recap: Kepler’s first Law
• For a satellite the earth will be at one of the foci of the
elliptical path followed by satellite.
• Motion of orbit is governed by eccentricity.

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 Recap: Kepler’s second Law
• Distance travelled by satellite around the perigee is more
in time t as compared to distance travelled at apogee. i.e.
Satellite moves faster near perigee.
• As a result the area of triangle formed around the perigee
is equal to the area of triangle formed around apogee.

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Recap: Kepler’s third Law

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 Kepler’s third law cont..
Ex: Calculate the radius of a circular orbit for which the period is 1
day

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Satellites in Circular Orbits

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 CIRCULAR OTRBIT PARAMETERS
Astronomical constants

Constant Symbol Earth Units

Gravitational parameter  = GMe 398,600.5 km3/sec2

 = GMe 631.3482 km3/2/sec

Mass Me 5.9733 X 1024 kg

Radius Re 6,378.140 km

Physical constants:
Gravitational constant, G = 6.673 X 10-20 km3/kg sec 2
Velocity of light, c = 299792.458 km/sec.
 CIRCULAR OTRBIT PARAMETERS

Equations in terms of
At In
a and  a and S vS and  earth’s geostationary
Quantity radius orbit Unit

Radius - - a = S3 6378.140 42164.570 km

Velocity S= /a - - 7.905364 3.074689 km/sec

Orbit period tS = 2a3/2/ tS = 2a/s ts = 2/s3 5069.347 86164.091 sec

a: Orbit radius (= Re + h)

 = The product Gravitational constant (GMe) = 398,600.5 km3/sec2

CIRCULAR OTRBIT PARAMETERS
Orbital velocity, height, and period of four satellite systems

Satellite system Altitude h Orbital velocity vs Orbit period ts

(km) (km/h) (hr min sec)

Intelsat (GEO) 35,786.03 11,068.92 23 56 4.1 ＊

 New-ICO (MEO) 10,255 17,623.4 5 55 48.4
 Skybridge (LEO) 1,469 25,657.92 1 55 17.8
 Iridium (LEO) 780 26,864.64 1 40 27.0

Earth radius Re = 6378.137 km

GEO radius from center of earth is = 42,164.17 km.
a = Re + h
 Circular Orbit cont…
• Velocity in circular orbit can be

• Time to orbit can be given as

• where

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 Escape Velocity
“Initial velocity to break gravitational pull of earth” f = 0

1) GRAVITATIONAL POTENTIAL ENERGY

  PE = - GMem/r h
i

Me= mass of attracting body m

Re
2) KINTETIC ENERGY KE = 1/2(m ) i
2
Me

3) Initial Mechanical (kinetic plus potential) Energy is :

KEi + PEi = (1/2)mi2 – GMem/Re

 Law of conversation of energy gives

(1/2)mi2 – GMem/Re = 0
Escape velocity e is given by:
e = 2GMe/Re
Escape velocity
 ESCAPE VELOCITY
EXAMPLE
Example : Calculate escape velocity from earth of 5000-kg spacecraft.
Solution :

e = 2GMe/Re

Me = 5.98 X 1024 kg
Re = 6.38 X 106 m gives
 
e = 2GMe/Re
= 2(6.68 X 10-11)(5.98 X 1024)/(6.37 X106)
= 1.12 X 104 m/s
 
This corresponds to about 25,000 miles/hour or about 7 miles/second.
 ELLIPTICAL ORBITS
 Center of Earth is ONE of focal points of ellipse.
 Two points of Interest: Highest (Apogee) and lowest
(Perigee), include the earth’s radius (= 3,960 miles or 6,370 km)
Eccentricity: Orbit eccentricity e is “ratio of distance between
center of ellipse and center of earth to semi-major axis of
V = VPVA

ellipse.”
e = [apogee – perigee]/[apogee + perigee] r
b = RPRA
VA

e = [apogee – perigee]/2a Perigee hP  Earth

C
hA Apogee
hp
VP

Pe

(Perigee)
a
RA (Apogee)
 ELLIPTICAL ORBIT- Satellite
Velocity
 Satellite Velocity
2 = (2/r) – (1/a)

VA
b = RPRA
r

Perigee hP  Earth hA

C
hp
VP Apogee
 Orbit Period
T = 2a3/ = 2a3/ReG Pe

(Perigee) a

RA (Apogee)
 

 
Elliptical Orbit-Example
Satellite A is orbiting earth in a near-earth orbit of radius 7000 km. Satellite B is
orbiting earth in an elliptical eccentric orbit with apogee and perigee distances of
  47,000 and 7,000 km, respectively. Determine the velocities of the two satellites at
point X. (µ = 39.8 x 1013 m3/s2)
Solution :
 
•Circular Orbit Velocity:
   = (/r)1/2
= [(39.8 x 1013/7000000)]1/2 = 7.54 km/s
•Elliptical Orbit Velocity:
 
2 = [(2/r) – (1/a)]
Here, r = 7000 km, and a = (47000 + 7000)/2 = 27000 km
Therefore,  = √(39.8 x 1013) x (2/7000000 – 1/27000000) = 9.946 km/s

 
 Eccentric Anomaly
• Eccentric anomaly is an angular parameter that defines the
position of a body moving along an Elliptical Kepler’s Orbit
• The radius is related to the eccentric anomaly by the formula

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 Apogee and Perigee distance
• APOGEE: The point farthest from earth.

Apogee distance = a(1 + e) a

• PERIGEE: The point of closest approach to earth.

Perigee distance = a(1 – e)

a
 Apogee and Perigee distance
From Fig 2.
Derivation

Fig 2.
Apogee and Perigee distance
Derivation
 Numericals

Circular and Elliptical orbit numerical from

Satellite Communication by Timothy Pratt

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