Orbit Trajectory Propagation

Propagation of perturbed and unperturbed orbital trajectories from initial states

This LiveScript is designed to propagate any conic section orbit trajectory about a user-selected spherical celestial object within the solar system using Keplerian orbital mechanics. Using only initial postion and velocity state vectors, one can propagate circular, elliptical, parabolic, or hyperbolic orbits about an orbit body over time using a Cowell Method numerical integrator. The example compares the unperturbed two-body propagation with a purturbed propagated orbit due to orbit body spherical oblateness of the same initial state vectors. Once the orbit state vectors are obtained, it plots the orbit trajectories in three dimensions specific to the selected orbit body and see the differences in trajectories.