Patent ID: 7454272

Claim:
A geostationary stationkeeping method, comprising: determining a gravitational force of the sun on a satellite at a beginning of a stationkeeping operation; determining a gravitational force of the moon on the satellite at the beginning of the stationkeeping operation; determining an initial inclination vector of the satellite that prevents the satellite from exceeding a predefined inclination box while the satellite is in orbit, wherein the initial inclination vector accounts for a first set of one or more perturbations affecting the orbit of the satellite, wherein the first set of one or more perturbations affecting the orbit of the satellite comprises an 18.6 year moon perturbation; determining a guard band for a mean inclination of the satellite, wherein a size of the guard band is calculated based on unmodeled small amplitude short period perturbations, maneuver error, and orbit estimation error, the guard band located within the inclination box; determining a maneuver strategy to correct for a second set of one or more perturbations affecting the orbit of the satellite without accounting for the first set of one or more perturbations affecting the orbit of the satellite and to maintain a mean inclination of the satellite within the guard band to guarantee the inclination of the satellite does not exceed the inclination box; and performing a maneuver on the satellite according to the maneuver strategy.