Data for Geosynchronous Satellite Orbital Operations
- Unperturbed geostationary semimajor axis = 42164.2 km
- Orbital mean semimajor axis = 42165.8 km
- Effective geostationary radius = 42164.5 km
- Gravitational constant G = 6.67x10-11 N m2 kg-2
- Earth mass Me = 5.98x1024 kg
- Earth central gravity constant k = GMe = 398600.440 km3 s-2
- Earth sidereal rotation rate = 360.985647 deg/day = 0.729211585x10-4 rad s-1
- One sidereal day = 86164 sec
- Geostationary orbital velocity = 3075 m s-1
- Stable nodes at 75.1 E and 105.3 W
- Unstable nodes at 11.5 W and 161.9 E
- Solar radiation pressure at geo orbit = 4.56x10-6 N m-2
- Earth equatorial radius = 6378.144 km
- Earth oblateness f = 1/298.257
- Geostationary altitude = 35787 km
- Ionospheric range delay 40.3 Ne / f2 / sin(elev)
- Speed of light c = 299792.458 km s-1
Note: A geostationary satellite strictly refers to a vehicle that appears
not to move at all in the sky (from a fixed ground site),
whereas a geosynchronous satellite may have
a non-zero inclination to the equatorial plane. This type of satellite
will display a figure eight pattern in the sky with a period of one day.
No satellite is truly geostationary as all geosats are subject to various
perturbations, and will drift slightly, requiring control maneuvres to
keep them 'on station'.