Re: [amsat-bb] P3E's orbit

[Jon Ogden <na9d@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Michael,

P3E is going to be in a Molinya style orbit, inclined at around 64 
degrees or so.  P3E is being built around the AO-10 and AO-13 platform 
model.

AO-40 orbits with an inclination of something like a few degrees.  It 
is barely above the equatorial plane.  So the two orbits will be 
completely different.  AO-40 should have had an inclined orbit, but the 
accident a few years ago prevented that.  I'm not an orbital scientist, 
so I don't know if there's a way to "synch" two orbits that are so 
different.  AO-40 has a rather high apogee altitude (much higher than 
was needed or wanted but we got "stuck" there due to the accident).  I 
doubt P3E will have such an apogee.  As such, the AO-40 orbital period 
is likely going to be different than P3E.

Bottom line is there will likely be some times when you will have both 
satellites overhead, sometimes one and sometimes none.

73,

Jon
NA9D

On Friday, Jun 20, 2003, at 19:05 America/Chicago, Michael Kjorling 
wrote:

> I was thinking... has P3E's orbit been finalized (on the drawing board 
> -
> obviously not like P3D/AO-40's has) yet, or is "highly elliptical" 
> pretty
> much all there is?
>
> Correct me if I am wrong, but I consider the AO-40's orbit, too, to be
> "highly elliptical". Looking at satellite coverage maps, it appears 
> that it
> covers pretty much all of the side of the earth that faces it at least 
> when
> at or near apogee. So would it be possible for the P3E to have an orbit
> similar to that of AO-40, but the two being at opposite sides of each 
> other,
> meaning that P3E is at perigee when AO-40 is at apogee. Unless I am 
> mistaken
> (and frankly, it wouldn't surprise me terribly if I am), such an 
> arrangement
> would mean that almost no matter where you are and what the time is, 
> there
> will be a high-Earth orbit amateur satellite within range. If they 
> provide
> anything remotely resembling similar up- and downlink passband 
> frequencies,
> this would mean that a station could be QRV on satellite almost no 
> matter
> where and when with little to no additional effort.
-------------------------------------
Jon Ogden
NA9D (ex: KE9NA)

Citizen of the People's Democratic Republik of Illinois

Life Member: ARRL, NRA
Member:  AMSAT, DXCC

Ham Radio Webpage: http://www.qsl.net/na9d   <- Updated on 1/12/03!!!
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http://homepage.mac.com/jogden/Photography.html

"Try not to become a man of success.  Rather become a man of value."
                                                                         
                 - Albert Einstein

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