REDUCED DEBRIS HAZARD RESULTING FROM A STABLE INCLINED GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT

A stable geosynchronous orbit with an initial inclination of approximately 7.4-degrees will drastically reduce relative encounter velocities between objects in such an orbit, compared to relative velocities between objects in an initially equatorial geosynchronous orbit. Without north-south station keeping, the inclinations of objects placed into an equatorial geosynchronous orbit will increase to a maximum of 15-degrees, giving rise to encounter velocities of up to 800 meters/second. Collisions at these velocities are likely to produce fragments large enough to contribute to collisional cascading. However, the inclination of objects in the stable geosynchronous orbit will change very little, not only with respect to the equator, but also with respect to other objects in that orbit. Careful initial placement can limit collision velocities between objects in such an orbit to less than 5 meters/second. This reduced collision velocity is expected to reduce significantly or eliminate the production of debris fragments large enough to contribute to collisional cascading.