Multisatellite systems with linear structure and their application for continuous coverage of the earth

Multisatellite systems with linear structure (SLS) are defined, and their application for a continuous global or zonal coverage of the Earths surface is justified. It is demonstrated that in some cases these systems turned out to be better than usually recommended kinematically regular systems by G.V. Mozhaev, delta systems of J.G. Walker, and polar systems suggested by F.W. Gobets, L. Rider, and W.S. Adams. When a comparison is made using the criterion of a minimum radius of one-satellite coverage circle, the SLS beat the other systems for the majority of satellite numbers from the range 20–63, if the global continuous single coverage of the Earth is required. In the case of a zonal continuous single coverage of the latitude belt ±65°, the SLS are preferable at almost all numbers of satellites from 38 to 100, and further at any values up to 200 excluding 144.Translated from Kosmicheskie Issledovaniya, Vol. 43, No. 1, 2005, pp. 36–53.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Saulskiy.