Simulations show that by using the newly-derived transformation, frozen orbits exhibit better behavior in terms of long-term stability about the mean values of eccentricity and argument of periapsis, especially for high orbits.įorce contrast: a main gravity force (a¯¯=3738\documentclass$.Ĭlose polar and circular orbits are of great interest for the exploration of natural satellites. Whereas the dynamics of the mean elements do not include C22, and hence does not affect the equilibria leading to frozen orbits, C22 is present in the mean-to-osculating transformation, hence affecting the initialization of the physical circumlunar orbit. In the current paper, we derive the dynamics of a lunar orbiter under the mentioned perturbations, which are shown to be dominant for the evolution of circumlunar orbits, and use von Zeipel’s method to obtain a transformation between mean and osculating elements. Thus far, however, there has not been an explicit transformation from mean to osculating elements, which includes the zonal harmonic J2, the sectorial harmonic C22, and the Earth third-body effect.
The resulting mean orbital elements must be converted to osculating elements to initialize the orbiter position and velocity in the lunar frame.
Lunar frozen orbits, characterized by constant orbital elements on average, have been previously found using various dynamical models, incorporating the gravitational field of the Moon and the third-body perturbation exerted by the Earth.
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