Lifetime and Access Point Determination of a LEO Ecuadorian Satellite Using the STK Software

The main goal of this work is to generate the foundations for future projects proposals of Ecuadorian satellites to be launched into orbit for Earth observation purposes, since there are no further studies in this field. This research focuses on the Ecuadorian government's requirements given by a prior thesis that analyzed a failed governmental satellite project named Ecuadorian Satellite of Communication and Terrestrial Observation (SECOT). Therefore, it is intended to achieve this by determining an estimate orbit to compute its lifetime, validating the facilities that Ecuador has, such as the Cotopaxi Ground Station, through the access time data obtained through the Systems Tool Kit (STK) software, which also allows improvement in the planning phase. The SECOT satellite program was planned and designed as an Ecuadorian Earth observing system, with a ground station located near the Cotopaxi volcano as mentioned before, to provide geo-information of its territory through remote sensing. This system was conceived to deliver reliable, timely, high-resolution, and multipurpose data. In this context, remote sensing allows for the identification, measurement, and analysis of the characteristics of objects on the surface of the Earth without having contact with them within a period of 10 years established by the Ecuadorian government due to its needs. Therefore, the determination of the satellite's orbit is an essential part of the space mission analysis, which has an impact on the energy, attitude control, and thermal design of the satellite system. By analyzing the orbital parameters of the satellite as well as its payload characteristics with the assistance of the STK Astrogator module, different simulations were performed at altitudes of 590, 650, and 700 kilometers to discuss and determine the satellite's apogee orbit height through a realistic scenario in accordance to the average life expectancy of a satellite of this kind. Finally, the terrain profile is analyzed to get an accurate access summary report regarding the life-of-sight around the ground station. The access report summary is essential to perform better planning of downloading the satellite's data.