简介:Asetofparameterscalledrelativeorbitalelementsweredefinedtodescribetherelativemotionofthesatellitesintheformationflying.Withthehelpoftheseparameters,theeffectoftheperturbationsontherelativeorbittrajectoryandgeometricpropertiesofsatelliteformationcanbeeasilyanalyzed.First,therelativeorbitalelementsarederived,andpointedout:iftheeccentricityoftheleadingsatelliteisasmallvalue,therelativeorbittrajectoryisdeterminedbytheintersectionbetweenanellipticcylinderandaplaneintheleadingsatelliteorbitframereference;andtheparametersthatdescribetheellipticcylinderandtheplanecanbeusedtoobtaintherelativeorbittrajectoryandtherelativeorbitalelements.Second,byanalyzingtheeffectsofgravitationalperturbationsontherelativeorbitusingtherelativeorbitalelements,itisfoundthatthepropagationofarelativeorbitconsistsoftwoparts:oneisthedriftoftheellipticcylinder;andtheotheristherotationoftheplaneresultedfromtherotationofthenormaloftheplane.Meanwhile,theanalyticformulaeforthedriftandrotationratesofarelativetrajectoryundergravitationalperturbationsarepresented.Finally,therelativeorbittrajectoryandthecorrespondingchangeswereanalyzedwithrespecttotheJ2perturbation.