Geodesic and Lense-Thirring Precessions Effects on the Near Earth Artificial Satellites

Abstract

The present work deals with the effect of the geodesic and Lense-Thirring precessions in a near Earth artificial satellite orbit. The effects of the geodesic and Lense-Thirring precessions on the orbit evolution are surveyed. The Picard method of successive approximation is described. The canonical equations of motion including forces non-derivable from a potential are presented. The acceleration components coming from the geodesic and
Lense-Thirring precessions are first obtained, then, the images of these accelerations are evaluated. The integrations are effected using the method of Picard successive iteration.