Orbital and Positional Perturbation of Satellites Under Solar Radiation Pressure at Influence of Area-to-Mass Ratio and CR Variability

Among the perturbing factors that act on an artificial satellite, one of the most important is surely direct solar radiation pressure, mainly for objects with a high area-to-mass ratio. Direct solar radiation pressure had a considerable effect on the evolution of far-away orbits. The larger A/m is, the more strongly orbital elements and spatial position will deviate over time. Including a proper model of radiation pressure, therefore, is essential in space mission design and orbit prediction for small satellites. Future studies suggest the inclusion of Earth's shadow and thermal emissions as ways to further enhance the accuracy of numerical models.