Spherical Harmonic Gravity

Author: Tianjiang Shuo

Website: https://cislunarspace.cn

Definition

A model representing the Earth's gravitational potential using spherical harmonic expansion, accounting for the Earth's non-spherical gravitational effects. Expansion coefficients include zonal coefficients (Jl) and sectoral/tesseral coefficients (C lm, Slm), used for high-precision orbit calculations.

Application Value

This concept is fundamental to cislunar orbital mechanics and mission analysis, providing essential theoretical support for trajectory design and operational planning.

  • Retrograde Motion
  • Absolute Phase Bias
  • Relative Attitude Quaternion
  • Radial-Tangential-Normal Coordinate System, RTN

References

  • Vallado D. - 2022 - Fundamentals of astrodynamics and applications
Improve this page
Last Updated:
Contributors: ouyangjiahong, Ou Yang Jiahong