Vectorized Orbital Decay Routine For Space Objects Between 180 and 500 km Altitude.

Fully vectorized routine will estimate the decay time for Earth orbiting objects
573 Downloads
Updated Fri, 26 Feb 2016 22:12:04 +0000

View License

This routine will estimate the amount of time it will take for an object, initially placed at an altitude between 180-500 km, provided that its orbital eccentricity is less than 0.1. To run, simply call the routine in your command prompt:
>> [P,t] = computeOrbitalDecay(a,e,A,Cd,m0,F107,Ap)
Where
a = semi-major axis (km)
e = eccentricity
A = space object cross-sectional area (m^2)
Cd = space object drag coefficient
m0 = space object mass (kg)
F107 = solar radio flux at 10.7 cm
ap = solar magnetic index
Note that P is a vector of the orbital period (sec) with respect to t, the propagation time elapsed (sec).
This routine was inspired by the work of the Australian Space Weather Agency titled "Satellite Orbital Decay Calculations" which described this procedure in a technical report written under the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

Cite As

Darin Koblick (2024). Vectorized Orbital Decay Routine For Space Objects Between 180 and 500 km Altitude. (https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/55371-vectorized-orbital-decay-routine-for-space-objects-between-180-and-500-km-altitude), MATLAB Central File Exchange. Retrieved .

MATLAB Release Compatibility
Created with R2013b
Compatible with any release
Platform Compatibility
Windows macOS Linux

Community Treasure Hunt

Find the treasures in MATLAB Central and discover how the community can help you!

Start Hunting!
Version Published Release Notes
1.0.0.0

Updated description
Updated description of routine
Updated description to include more generic terminology.