SMART-1 osculating orbit up to 29 December 2003
Date: 29 December 2003
Satellite: SMART-1
Depicts: Osculating Orbits
Copyright: ESA
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The osculating orbits at launch (GTO) and at different times are plotted. The large orbit, marked 'final', is the one we expect to achieve at the end of the radiation belt escape (pericentre larger than 20 000 km). From the start, the electric propulsion system has managed to increase the semi-major axis of the orbit by 11 039 km, increasing the perigee altitude from the original 656 km to 10 857 km and the orbital period by about 8 hours, from the initial 10 hours 41 minutes to the present 18 hours and 37 minutes.
Last Update: 1 September 2019