Events Calendar

Stationkeeping and Collocation of Geostationary Satellites

Topic 1: Stationkeeping Strategies for a Single GEO Satellite
The dynamics and perturbations of a geostationary orbit will be introduced. The longitude (East/West) and inclination (North/South) stationkeeping strategies will be discussed. The Sun-pointing strategy and its relation to solar radiation pressure effect on eccentricity will be understood. Topic 2: Strategies for Collocating Multiple Geostationary Satellites
The ITU (International Telecommunication Union) policies and the need for GEO collocation will be discussed. Some basic strategies for collocating 2 to 3 GEO satellites will be introduced. The concept of eccentricity and inclination vector separation will be understood with examples. The final portion of the talk will be devoted to the formation and control of a cluster of many GEO satellites in a special geometry called the "Halo" formation. The advanced method of formation-keeping using onboard GPS measurements will be discussed. Speaker: Dr. C. C. "George" Chao, Part Time Lecturer
Division of Astronautical Engineering
Has taught orbital mechanics at The Aerospace Corp. and UCLA Extension since 1982
Senior Engineer Specialist/Technical Manager in Astrodynamics department at The Aerospace Corp for 25 years before retiring in 2002, worked at JPL for 10 years prior to joining Aerospace, continued consulting work at Aerospace after retirement.
Has MS and AeE degrees in aeronautics from Caltech and Ph.D. in Engineering (Astrodynamics) from UCLA, AIAA Associate Fellow and author/coauthor of two books in astrodynamics (Applied Orbit Perturbation and Maintenance, Orbital Mechanics).

Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 109

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Dan Erwin