Satellite motion in a non-singular gravitational potential

Abstract

We study the effects of a non singular gravitational potential on satellite orbits by deriving the corresponding time rates of change of its orbital elements. This is achieved by expanding the non singular potential into power series up to second order. This series contains three terms, the first being the Newtonian potential and the other two, (first order term)and (second order term), express deviations of the singular potential from the Newtonian. These deviations from the Newtonian potential are taken as disturbing potential terms in the Lagrange planetary equations that provide the time rates of change of the orbital elements of a satellite in a non singular gravitational field. We split these effects into secular, low and high frequency components and we evaluate them numerically using the low Earth orbiting mission Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE). We show that the secular effect of the second order disturbing term on the perigee and the mean anomaly are, 4.307 10^-9/a and -2.533 10^-15/a respectively. These effects, are far too small and most likely cannot easily be observed with todays technology. Numerical evaluation of the low and high frequency effects of the disturbing term on low Earth orbiters like GRACE are very small and undetectable by current observational means.