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Supersynchronous orbit
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<h2 id="geocentric-supersynchronous-orbits">Geocentric supersynchronous orbits</h2> <p>One particular supersynchronous orbital regime of significant <a href="/facts/Value_(economics)/76jsyB6X">economic value</a> to Earth commerce is a band of <a href="/facts/Circular_orbit/sSFMzmBv">near-circular</a> <a href="/facts/Geocentric_orbit/geC4BF1x">Geocentric</a> orbits beyond the <a href="/facts/Geosynchronous_orbit/nR2yaeUg">geosynchronous belt</a>—with <a href="/facts/Perigee/VaL6ow9w">perigee</a> altitude above 36,100 kilometres (22,400 mi), approximately 300 kilometres (190 mi) above <a href="/facts/Synchronous_orbit/KQgFsoIF">synchronous</a> altitude<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> —called the <a href="/facts/Graveyard_orbit/zUQp3VAp">geo graveyard belt</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> </p><p>The geo graveyard belt orbital regime is valuable as a storage and disposal location for derelict satellite <a href="/facts/Space_debris/X7YSKlXl">space debris</a> after their <a href="/facts/Product_lifetime/0trM0PGn">useful economic life</a> is completed as geosynchronous <a href="/facts/Communication_satellites/y5RXPMDT">communication satellites</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> Artificial satellites are left in space because the economic cost of removing the debris would be high, and current <a href="/facts/Public_policy/fYl7gXaC">public policy</a> does not require nor <a href="/facts/Incentive/eWAy7odC">incentivize</a> rapid removal by the party that first inserted the debris in <a href="/facts/Space/tq6LUM3C">outer space</a> and thus created a <a href="/facts/Negative_externality/hGgw7gtT">negative externality</a> for others—a placing of the cost onto them. One public policy proposal to deal with growing space debris is a "one-up/one-down" <a href="/facts/Launch_license/G0CbqX6T">launch license</a> policy for Earth orbits. Launch vehicle operators would have to pay the cost of debris mitigation. They would need to build the capability into their launch vehicle-robotic capture, navigation, mission duration extension, and substantial additional propellant – to be able to rendezvous with, capture and deorbit an existing derelict satellite from approximately the same orbital plane.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p><p>An additional common use of supersynchronous orbits are for the launch and <a href="/facts/Transfer_orbit/Ve2q74Xy">transfer orbit trajectory</a> of new <a href="/facts/Commsat/y5RXPMDT">commsats</a> intended for <a href="/facts/Geosynchronous_orbit/nR2yaeUg">geosynchronous orbits</a>. In this approach, the <a href="/facts/Launch_vehicle/g1GCGFJB">launch vehicle</a> places the satellite into a <i>supersynchronous</i> <a href="/facts/Elliptic_orbit/SfuXuATN">elliptical</a> <a href="/facts/Hohmann_transfer_orbit/qjhbKTLX">transfer orbit</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> an orbit with a somewhat larger <a href="/facts/Apogee/VaL6ow9w">apogee</a> than the more typical <a href="/facts/Geostationary_transfer_orbit/1WwL0SPz">geostationary transfer orbit</a> (GTO) typically used for communication satellites. Such an orbit is used because a small change in inclination at a lower altitude requires much more energy than the same change at a higher altitude. Thus is it sometimes optimal to use spacecraft propulsion to change the inclination at a higher-than-desired apogee, then lower the apogee to the desired altitude—resulting in a lower total <a href="/facts/Delta-v_budget/FloaUScI">expenditure of propellant</a> by the satellite's <a href="/facts/Apogee_kick_motor/Tf9SgQFP">kick motor</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> </p><p>This technique was used, for example, on the launch and transfer <a href="/facts/Orbital_injection/l8oQMJe4">orbit injection</a> of the first two <a href="/facts/SpaceX/2tKHsVdJ">SpaceX</a> <a href="/facts/Falcon_9_v1.1/2fd9FJJQ">Falcon 9 v1.1</a> GTO launches in December 2013 and January 2014, <a href="/facts/SES-8/FHufFzpm">SES-8</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> and <a href="/facts/Thaicom_6/0MN1VDCx">Thaicom 6</a> (90,000 kilometers (56,000 mi)-<a href="/facts/Apogee/VaL6ow9w">apogee</a>),<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> respectively. In both cases, the satellite owner uses the <a href="/facts/Spacecraft_propulsion/KmpMGU9u">propulsion</a> built into the satellite to reduce the apogee and <a href="/facts/Circular_orbit/sSFMzmBv">circularize</a> the orbit to a <a href="/facts/Geostationary_orbit/VBq1v5Kr">geostationary orbit</a>. This has also been a common practice by ULA, including the WGS communications satellite constellation. This technique was also used on the launch of <a href="/facts/SES-14/2elPwMzG">SES-14</a> and <a href="/facts/Al_Yah_3/gd3dkCgP">Al Yah 3</a> during <a href="/facts/Ariane_5_flight_VA241/XyRnJX4b">Ariane 5 flight VA241</a>. However, due to launch crew error resulting in anomaly and a deviation of the trajectory, the satellites were not inserted into the intended orbit, causing a reschedule of their maneuvering plan.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="non-geocentric-supersynchronous-orbits">Non-Geocentric supersynchronous orbits</h2> <p>Most natural satellites in the <a href="/facts/Solar_System/QIcLSazQ">Solar System</a> are in supersynchronous orbits. The <a href="/facts/Moon/zKHqEMPb">Moon</a> is in a supersynchronous orbit of <a href="/facts/Earth/HLLmDfj0">Earth</a>, orbiting more slowly than the 24-hour rotational period of Earth. The inner of the two Martian moons, <a href="/facts/Phobos_(moon)/qqS9JvuG">Phobos</a>, is in a <a href="/facts/Subsynchronous_orbit/8NwtfAMj">subsynchronous orbit</a> of Mars with an orbital period of only 0.32 days.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> The outer moon <a href="/facts/Deimos_(moon)/Sm30nJWY">Deimos</a> is in supersynchronous orbit around <a href="/facts/Mars/AQGtVvz0">Mars</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> </p><p>The <a href="/facts/Mars_Orbiter_Mission/7BslPK15">Mars Orbiter Mission</a>—currently orbiting Mars—is placed into highly <a href="/facts/Elliptic_orbit/SfuXuATN">elliptical</a> supersynchronous orbit around Mars, with a period of 76.7 hours and a planned <a href="/facts/Periapsis/VaL6ow9w">periapsis</a> of 365 km (227 mi) and <a href="/facts/Apoapsis/VaL6ow9w">apoapsis</a> of 70,000 km (43,000 mi).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Subsynchronous_orbit/8NwtfAMj">Subsynchronous orbit</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/List_of_orbits/l5bSKRcJ">List of orbits</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"U.S. Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices" (PDF). United States Federal Government. Retrieved 2013-11-28. <a href="https://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/library/USG_OD_Standard_Practices.pdf" target="_blank">https://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/library/USG_OD_Standard_Practices.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Luu, Kim; Sabol, Chris (October 1998). "Effects of perturbations on space debris in supersynchronous storage orbits" (PDF). Air Force Research Laboratory Technical Reports (AFRL-VS-PS-TR-1998-1093). Bibcode:1998PhDT.......274L. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-28. <a href="http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a361503.pdf" target="_blank">http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a361503.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Luu, Kim; Sabol, Chris (October 1998). "Effects of perturbations on space debris in supersynchronous storage orbits" (PDF). Air Force Research Laboratory Technical Reports (AFRL-VS-PS-TR-1998-1093). Bibcode:1998PhDT.......274L. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-28. <a href="http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a361503.pdf" target="_blank">http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a361503.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Frank Zegler and Bernard Kutter, "Evolving to a Depot-Based Space Transportation Architecture" Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine, AIAA SPACE 2010 Conference & Exposition, 30 August-2 September 2010, AIAA 2010–8638. <a href="http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/docs/publications/DepotBasedTransportationArchitecture2010.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/docs/publications/DepotBasedTransportationArchitecture2010.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Svitak, Amy (2013-11-24). "Musk: Falcon 9 Will Capture Market Share". Aviation Week. Archived from the original on 2013-11-28. Retrieved 2013-11-28. <a href="https://archive.today/20131128130723/http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_11_24_2013_p0-640244.xml" target="_blank">https://archive.today/20131128130723/http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_11_24_2013_p0-640244.xml</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>de Selding, Peter B. (6 January 2014). "SpaceX Delivers Thaicom-6 Satellite to Orbit". Space News. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014. <a href="https://archive.today/20140107175040/http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/38959spacex-delivers-thaicom-6-satellite-to-orbit" target="_blank">https://archive.today/20140107175040/http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/38959spacex-delivers-thaicom-6-satellite-to-orbit</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Svitak, Amy (2013-11-24). "Musk: Falcon 9 Will Capture Market Share". Aviation Week. Archived from the original on 2013-11-28. Retrieved 2013-11-28. <a href="https://archive.today/20131128130723/http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_11_24_2013_p0-640244.xml" target="_blank">https://archive.today/20131128130723/http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_11_24_2013_p0-640244.xml</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>de Selding, Peter B. (6 January 2014). "SpaceX Delivers Thaicom-6 Satellite to Orbit". Space News. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014. <a href="https://archive.today/20140107175040/http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/38959spacex-delivers-thaicom-6-satellite-to-orbit" target="_blank">https://archive.today/20140107175040/http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/38959spacex-delivers-thaicom-6-satellite-to-orbit</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"Independent Enquiry Commission announces conclusions concerning the launcher trajectory deviation during Flight VA241 - Arianespace". Arianespace. Retrieved 23 February 2018. <a href="http://www.arianespace.com/press-release/independent-enquiry-commission-announces-conclusions-concerning-the-launcher-trajectory-deviation-during-flight-va241/" target="_blank">http://www.arianespace.com/press-release/independent-enquiry-commission-announces-conclusions-concerning-the-launcher-trajectory-deviation-during-flight-va241/</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Lodders, Katharina; Fegley, Bruce (1998). The planetary scientist's companion. Oxford University Press US. pp. 190, 198. ISBN 0-19-511694-1. <a href="0-19-511694-1" target="_blank">0-19-511694-1</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Lodders, Katharina; Fegley, Bruce (1998). The planetary scientist's companion. Oxford University Press US. pp. 190, 198. ISBN 0-19-511694-1. <a href="0-19-511694-1" target="_blank">0-19-511694-1</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>"Trajectory Design" (PDF (5.37Mb)). Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ). October 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-08. <a href="http://www.isro.org/pslv-c25/pdf/mom-trajectory.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.isro.org/pslv-c25/pdf/mom-trajectory.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>