GFDL - General Flight Dynamics Library

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Shown here is a GFDL render of a spacecraft maneuvering from LEO to GEO. Use the drop-down menu on the top left to select refernce frame. The EarthFixed reference frame also includes ground track drawn on the surface of Earth.

Hover mouse over number to see the mission checkpoints:

1. initial_state
   The start of simulation.
2. post_initial_coast
   TargetSat completes a few revolutions. After this point, the targeter starts looking for a burn window to execute GTO insertion. In this case, the best timing is at the initial orbit's intersection with the equatorial plane.
3. post_transfer_injection
   TargetSat finishes the impulse burn for GTO insertion. Since it's more economical to make plane changes at higher altitudes, this burn is tangential-only.
4. post_orbit_insertion
   TargetSat finishes the burn to circularize the orbit. It concurrently completes the plane change.
5. final_state_checkpoint
   TargetSat completes a few refolutions in the target GEO. At this point, ground track in EarthFixed frame largely remains static over the same ground location, as expected for GEO spacecrafts.