Mission Geometry: Orbit and Constellation Design and Management (OCDM) is the most complete treatment available for many elements of space mission design and astronautics. OCDM discusses both the similarities and differences between orbit and altitude systems in terms of hardware, algorithms, design, and processing requirements. With the demand for reduced cost and the introduction of extensive on-board computing, what were once entirely separate disciplines have begun to merge. This volume will speed that process. In all areas, OCDM is meant to be practical, with recommendations, insights, formulas, and numerical recipes based on 40 years of spaceflight experience from organizations worldwide. It is meant to be both a text and reference work that can be used by those entering the field and by senior engineers engaged in the design, analysis, construction, or on-orbit operations of orbit and attitude systems and components.

The papers contained in this Volume of Proceedings have been collected from an international Workshop entitled 'Mission Design and Implementation of Satellite Constellations' which was held in Toulouse, France, in November 1997. This Workshop represented the first international gathering of the specialists in this currently very active field of research activity. The initiative to organise a Workshop around this theme was conceived during the Congress of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) in Beijing, China, in October 1996. On that occasion, the IAF explored concepts and possibilities for the conduct of small specialist Workshops and Symposia of current interest. Topical, interesting, and focused themes in the general field of space technology (both theories and applications) will be selected for these Symposia. They aim at offering a dedicated forum at international level for specialists and experts to exchange their views and experiences on recent and future developments within the selected theme. These specialist Workshops and Symposia supplement the comprehensive annual IAF Congresses which cover all aspects of space technology and draw a correspondingly diverse audience.

This book provides an introduction to the mission design of communication satellites. There are many excellent books on orbit mechanics and astrodynamics, but until now there has been no single work that explains the ins and outs of mission design, and explains why things are done the way they are done as well as how they are done. The book will be of interest not only to practising mission analysts, but also to spacecraft systems engineers, spacecraft project managers and to those who wish to employ the unique attributes of geosynchronous spacecraft for useful purposes. At last, an explanation of the ins and outs of mission design is offered in a clear and concise matter. The self-contained reference book utilizes analytical details and illustrations to explain the broad aspects of design and mission operations. This unique approach makes it easier for you to assimilate the necessary information to analyze, plan, and carry out a geosynchronous mission from launch, through orbit transfer and station acquisition, to station-keeping and on-orbit operations. This book will be a useful reference for practising mission analysts, spacecraft systems engineers, project managers and others with a practical interest in the uniqiue attributes of geosynchronous spacecraft.

The present impetus to drive down the overall cost of space missions is leading to ever-increasing demands for more efficient design techniques over a wide range of interplanetary missions, and the methods now being utilised to do this are described in this timely and authoritative work.