| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1778957 | New Astronomy | 2015 | 6 Pages |
•We derived a numerical method for the computation of two-satellite relative motion.•We derived a set of analytical solutions for the two-body variational equations.•The numerical method and the analytical solution coincide.
We present an accurate simple-to-implement numerical method for the computation of the relative motion of two-satellites. This is presented for both the linearized approximation and in an exact formulation. We also derive a basic set of analytical solutions for the variational equations of the two-body motion. This is shown to be a useful approximation for the relative motion of two-satellites even in the so called J2J2 problem, provided one uses the secular J2J2-theory to obtain the orbit precession. The numerical method results are compared with approximations produced by the two-body variational but precessed approximation. We find a good agreement for quasi-circular orbits with same inclination.
