Assignment 1:

Q1. State Kepler’s three laws of planetary motion. Illustrate in each case their relevance to
artificial satellites orbiting the earth.

Ans) 1. Kepler's First Law (Law of Ellipses):

• Kepler's First Law states that the orbit of a planet (or satellite) around the
Sun (or Earth) is an ellipse, with the Sun (or Earth) at one of the two foci of
the ellipse.
• Relevance to artificial satellites: Artificial satellites in Earth's orbit also
follow elliptical paths. However, most artificial satellites are placed in nearly
circular orbits for stability and predictability. Nevertheless, the law of
ellipses helps calculate the shape of a satellite's orbit if it deviates from a
perfect circle.

2. Kepler's Second Law (Law of Equal Areas):

• Kepler's Second Law states that a line segment joining a planet (or satellite)
and the Sun (or Earth) sweeps out equal areas in equal intervals of time.
• Relevance to artificial satellites: This law is crucial for understanding how
satellites move in their orbits. When a satellite is closer to the Earth in its
elliptical orbit (perigee), it moves faster, and when it's farther away
(apogee), it moves slower. This is important for satellite positioning and
propulsion, as it affects the timing of maneuvers and orbital adjustments.

3. Kepler's Third Law (Law of Harmonic Proportions):

• Kepler's Third Law states that the square of the orbital period of a planet (or
satellite) is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its
orbit.
• Relevance to artificial satellites: This law is relevant for calculating the
orbital period of artificial satellites. It allows scientists and engineers to
determine the time it takes for a satellite to complete one orbit around the
Earth based on its altitude. This information is essential for coordinating
satellite activities and ensuring proper communication and data acquisition

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Q2) A satellite orbit has an eccentricity of 0.2 and a semi-major axis
of 10,000 km. Find the values of (a) the latus rectum; (b) the minor
axis; (c) the distance between foci.

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Assignment 2:
Question: The orbit for an earth-orbiting satellite has an eccentricity of 0.15 and
semimajor axis of 9000 km. Determine (a) its periodic time; (b) the apogee
height; (c) the perigee height. Assume a mean value of 6371 km for the earth’s
radius.

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Q) A SpaceX mission to the ISS is an example of a LEO satellite mission. Before rendezvousing
with the ISS on this mission, Space inserted the Dragon capsule into an initial circular orbit 38
km above the earth's surface, where there are still a finite number of molecules from the
atmosphere. The mean earth's radius, re, is approximately 6378.14 km. Using these numbers,
calculate the period of the Dragon capsule of SpaceX in its 380 km orbit. Find also the linear
velocity of the Dragon capsule along this orbit.

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Q) The satellite in geostationary orbit has an apogee height of 35,795 km
and a perigee height of 35,779 km. Assuming a value of 6378 km for the
earth’s equatorial radius, determine the semimajor axis and the eccentricity
of the satellite’s orbit.

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Q) A satellite in polar orbit has a perigee height of 600 km and an apogee
height of 1200 km. Calculate (a) the mean motion, (b) the rate of regression
of the nodes, and (c) the rate of rotation of the line of apsides. The mean
radius of the earth may be assumed equal to 6371 km.

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Q) Determine the orbital condition necessary for the argument of perigee
to remain stationary in the orbital plane. The orbit for a satellite under this
condition has an eccentricity of 0.001 and a semimajor axis of 27,000 km. At
a given epoch the perigee is exactly on the line of Aries. Determine the
satellite position relative to this line after a period of 30 days from epoch.

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