3 ms·
Atmospheric drag affects small satellites more than large satellites, all other things equal?
by close04 8y ago
Atmospheric drag affects small satellites more than large satellites, all other things equal?
- navaati 8y agoI think it's more than as you go smaller the mass reduces faster than the drag, thus resulting in a higher amount of drag per unit of mass.
- nradov 8y agoIn other words, typical cubesats have a low ballistic coefficient. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballistic_coefficient https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballistic_coefficient
- PeterisP 8y agoRoughly speaking, mass (which needs to be decelerated by the drag) is proportional to the cube of the size but drag force is proportional to square of the size; so yes, atmospheric drag affects small satellites more.