Tutorial - How to Create a Satellite Network with Evenly Spaced Satellites

[Wikkyd]

I had been trying to to do this. I wanted a network of relay communications satellites so i could use unmanned vessels. As you know, you need a satellite network like this so the unmanned vessels always have communications with Kerbin. Anyway I also wanted the network of satellites evenly spaced out in their orbit. I couldn't find any tutorials on this that explained the math so I went ahead and derived the math myself and made a tutorial video for the community at large. So Enjoy

 

Edited May 27, 2017 by Wikkyd

[Red Iron Crown]

Thanks for sharing. Moved this over to the Tutorials section for you.

[Svish]

Great explanation! WIth the MechJeb mod already installed though, at the end, you could've showed quickly how to (not) do that math with the resonant orbit mode of the Maneuver Planner.

Also, less efficient though, but I let my "mothership" do one of its orbits first, before I let the first satellite loose. That way I handled them all "the same", instead of the first one getting special treatment

[TheKSPBeginner]

Aint nobody need evenly spaced sats!  It's easier to just launch them.

[Kerbal101]

Interesting!

I just tend to skip all the math and use blatant 4 "NEWS" (North, East, West, South) mapping, that can be visually checked (read - lazy) from above; setting same inclination of about 0.

To prevent AP and PE constantly shifting, I keep them different, but consistent. Like 400 km AP / 395 km PE on all 1st generation sats.

[StevenLawyer]

I've put together a free Excel spreadsheet that will make calculating release points and orbits for evenly spaced satellites a breeze.  Enjoy!

Satellite Spacing Calculator