NECESSARY CONDITIONS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF SPACECRAFT IN CLOSED ULTRA-LOW ORBITS

Abstract

The problem of spacecraft stabilization in ultra-low (120–250 km for the Earth) orbits with the help of air-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP), which uses the gases of the surrounding atmosphere as a propellant, is considered. Qualitative differences of ABEP from traditional electric propulsion are emphasized and, on the basis of the fundamental laws of mechanics and electrodynamics, the necessary conditions for the existence of spacecraft with ABEP in closed ultra-low orbits are substantiated.