Calculating Delta V for Orbit Change

Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
1 reply · 2K views
starchaser2020
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
A satellite changes its orbit inclined 66° at 260.0 km altitude to a polar orbit at the same altitude. What Delta V was required?

... I am stuck.

do I figure it out using:

DeltaV1 = |V_transfer at orbit 1 - V_orbit 1|
and
DeltaV2 = |V_transfer at orbit 2 - V_orbit 2|

or is there another way?

Thank you in advance!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
starchaser2020 said:
|V_transfer at orbit 1 - V_orbit 1|
I'm not sure what two velocities those variables represent. One that thing that may be confusing is that while in an orbit there is no single velocity that goes with it - the velocity keeps changing.
Think of it this way: in order to switch from one orbit to the other, you have to get to a point on the target orbit. How is that going to happen? Will it require a deliberate velocity change? When that has happened, what velocity change is needed to complete the process?