Cowell's Perturbation Method

Author: Tianjiang Shuo

Website: https://cislunarspace.cn

Definition

A method that treats the central body's gravity as the main acceleration and the gravity of other bodies (e.g., the Sun, Moon) as perturbation terms, computing them separately and summing them on the right-hand side of the equations of motion, then numerically integrating to solve for the orbit. It is suited to deep-space orbit computation under multi-body gravitational forces.

Application Value

This term has important applications in cislunar missions. In orbit design, it can be used to optimize transfer trajectories and reduce mission fuel consumption. In attitude control and dynamical analysis, it helps characterize the spacecraft's motion in complex gravitational fields, providing theoretical support for mission planning. In navigation and orbit determination, methods based on this term improve orbit prediction accuracy and underpin autonomous navigation algorithms.

  • Conic Orbit
  • Meshless Method
  • Heliosphere
  • Kepler's Equation

References

  • Biswas & Hablani, 2015, Section II.A