A Patrol Route Design for Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit Satellites in Space Traffic Management

Conducting survey and timely obtain of satellite status, especially for high-value GEO targets, is of great significance for Space Traffic Management. This article proposes an approach for patrolling Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO) targets based on crossing points and spiral rings, which including six steps: (1) calculate the crossing position and crossing time of the IGSO targets; (2) design the spiral trajectory that satisfies desired patrol time; (3) divide IGSO targets into regions based on dichotomy approach; (4) calculate the bidirectional longitude drift rate within each region; (5) determine the starting position of patrol for each region; (6) determine the transfer trajectory for each region. On this basis, the proposed approach is analyzed and validated in detail. The results showed that the patrol orbit can effectively achieve patrol all of IGSO targets, with a period of no more than 40 days and an energy consumption of no more than 0.04km/s. And, the total energy consumption of a single patrol cycle in all regions shall not exceed 0.4km/s.