3 ms·
> Satellites can be re-oriented into different orbital inclinations but that requires fuel A LOT of fuel. So much so that even if lifetime wasn't an issue, it
by outworlder 9y ago
> Satellites can be re-oriented into different orbital inclinations but that requires fuel
A LOT of fuel. So much so that even if lifetime wasn't an issue, it makes more sense to launch additional satellites in the proper inclination, rather than moving one.
I know that, in one instance, a company wanted to use the moon's gravity to change a satellite's inclination, as it was cheaper to all the way to the moon and back (and then circularize again). That maneuver seems to be patented, though.
- pdelbarba 9y agoPatents be damned, I use that in KSP from time to time. Can I claim prior art? If you're on a level orbit and you fly off to the moon, adjusting with a tiny bit of inclination so that instead of nearing the moon on the same plane but from above, you're suddenly in a highly inclined orbit on your way back. You can also use this to slow down/speed up depending on which side you approach.
- techdragon 9y agoPatent number/reference please? I’d love to use this as a test case in an orbital dynamics library I’m building.
- msl 9y agoI am fairly sure that "US 6116545 A" [1] is the patent in question. [1] https://www.google.com/patents/US6116545 https://www.google.com/patents/US6116545