MATLAB: Satellite Orbit, Friction Acceleration Function

#matlab #orbitanalysis #frictionacceleration

Hello, how can I write a code that calculates friction force acceleration for a satellite orbiting the Earth? (Especially for NRLMSISE-00 Atmosphere Model) I have a code that does orbit calculations numerically, but I should integrate this friction force function too..
Thank you

Best Answer

Recently I've good experiences using this tool: RKN1210 - A 12th/10th order Runge-Kutta-Nyström integrator
It is sightly different that the matlab-native ODE-integrating functions, but only slightly. It integrates second-order ODEs with high accuracy - which is what you have. The only thing you have to do is to include a drag-force into your equations of motion. Typically that is proportional to the square of the relative velocity between the space-craft and the atmosphere and proportional to the mass-density, you will first have to determine the relative velocity and the mass-density as a function of satellite position and time. That should be doable with calls to NRLmsis inside your equation of motion. The RKN1210 package comes with illustrating examples.
HTH
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