True Orbits of Satellites

Abstract

The Solar System contains celestial bodies (the Sun, the Moon, and other planets) that are perturbing the uniform motion of a satellite around Earth. Moreover, friction with upper layers of the atmosphere and the solar pressure are also perturbing the movement of a satellite. These perturbations are very small, but taken a long period of time, the impact upon the satellite orbit is significant. This paper proposes a way to calculate the resultant acceleration that acts on the satellite at a given time.