Multi-SunSynchronous Orbits in the Solar System

Performances of a planetary observation system are strongly related to the choice of the orbit used. Trajectories with characteristics of periodicity are very useful for the assessment of time-varying phenomena and thus Periodic SunSynchronous and Periodic Multi-SunSynchronous Orbits are particularly suitable to this end. In this paper, the research into these kinds of orbits, previously proposed for the Earth and Mars, has been extended to planets of the Solar System and to their principal moons. In general, these trajectories are typically obtained under the hypothesis that the J₂ harmonic is predominant with respect to the other orbital perturbations, since this allows an analytical solution. However, the hypothesis of J₂ predominant is not always verified in the Solar System and so analytical techniques must be replaced by numerical simulations. Interesting results have been obtained for the planets Mars and Jupiter and for the moons Europa, Callisto and Titan, where periodic trajectories with reduced revisit times and low altitudes have been found. These solutions allow the observation of time-varying phenomena with high spatial and temporal resolution.