Effect of Planetary Thermal Radiation and Reflected Sunlight on Spacecraft Trajectories: Application to Mercury and the BepiColombo Mission.

Abstract

This Master Thesis investigates the effect of indirect radiation pressure on the orbit of a spacecraft about a spherical central body with a non-spherical mass distribution. Indirect radiation pressure comprises two components, indirect solar radiation pressure based on solar radiation reflected from the surface of the central body and thermal radiation pressure based on thermal radiation emitted by the central body. A physical and mathematical model has been developed in order to assess the resulting acceleration and to simulate and analyze the impact on the orbit.