Methodology for constructing optimal satellite constellations for periodic coverage based on numerical calculations in the Integral software package

Remote sensing of the Earth using modern satellite constellations allows solving various problems in the oil and gas and agricultural industries, in the fishery, environmental monitoring, etc. However, the use of multi-satellite constellations leads to the need to determine their most optimal formation, which, with the minimum possible number of spacecraft, will allow sensing of target areas with the required periodicity and coverage. This paper presents a technique for express assessment using calculations in the Integral software package of orbital parameters and the number of spacecraft in a constellation that will provide periodic sensing of target areas at specified latitudes or in a specified latitude range. Also, as a result of numerical experiments, it was found that spacecraft moving in orbits with an inclination of up to 50∘ are less susceptible to disturbances of the true anomaly caused by the asymmetry of the gravitational potential. This fact may indicate that maintaining the structure of a multi-satellite constellation of low-inclination spacecraft will require less fuel consumption and, consequently, the lifespan of the constellation will be longer.