Capabilities of Kinematically Regular Satellite Systems with Symmetry Groups of the Second Type in the Problem of Continuous Single Coverage of the Earth

The problem of a continuous single coverage of the Earth by systems of satellites in circular orbits of equal radii is considered. The results of calculating the characteristics of kinematically regular systems consisting of 6 to 60 satellites and possessing symmetry groups of the second type are presented. It is shown that, when the number of satellites varies from 20 to 38 inclusive, the best systems of this class surpass all currently known systems with respect to their characteristics.__________Translated from Kosmicheskie Issledovaniya, Vol. 43, No. 3, 2005, pp. 215–223.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Mozhaev.