how to set up geostationary orbit above ksc?

[deepspacecreeper]

hello, i would like to ask how do i put a satellite into geostationary orbit above ksc and have two more probes 120 degrees away from the first probe?

[Deathsoul097]

I think Scott Manley did a video on this...

[Meithan]

Yes, by far the best technique is the one

.

The trick is to launch all your satellites using a single carrier ship, and put that carrier into an orbit that reaches out to the keosynchronous altitude (2868.75 km) but which has a period smaller than 6h. For three satellites, you'd use a 4-hour orbit. Then, each time your carrier ship reaches apoapsis (i.e., reaches the keosynchronous altitude), you release one satellite.

I recently used this technique to place six satellites in such an orbit (using a 5-hour delivery orbit).

Edit: I just realized you want one of the satellites to be above KSC. That will complicate things a bit. It can still be done by playing with orbital periods and doing some calculations. The geneal idea is the same as I described above, you'll just need to get the details right to have the first apoapsis above KSC. I can help you with the details if you want.

Edited October 15, 2013 by Meithan

[BluetoothThePirate]

After you do the setup and raise your apoapsis to the goal altitude (2868750 M), make your periapsis such that you'll be in a four orbit. Don't deploy any sats yet. Keep in this orbit and look down every time you get to apoapsis. You'll see three different views of the planet that will be the same each time. Figure out which third has KSC in it, and about how many degrees east or west of you it is at apoapsis. That's a critical number. If KSC is east of you then your orbit needs to be temporarily shortened, if it's west it needs to be lengthened.

If KSC is 12 degrees to your west then burn prograde at apoapsis until your period is 4 hrs and 4 minutes (4 minutes is one third of 12) so three orbits later you'll be right over KSC. Same for any other number of degrees you need to correct, add one third of the time in minutes to move west, subtract to move east. The designers were very kind to give Kerbin a 6 hour rotation, it rotates 360 degrees in 360 minutes, that makes changing your longitude cake. Once you're over KSC at apoapsis, burn to bring your orbital period back to four hours then wait three more orbits and check your work, you should be right back above KSC again. From there, drop a sat and circularize its orbit to a 6 hour period each time you get back to apoapsis again, you'll wind up with a perfect 120 degree spacing.

You can use the same technique to fix a sat that drifts out of place. If you can figure out how many degrees off it is, shorten or lengthen its orbital period by that many minutes and it'll be back in place next apoapsis (although be careful, if you lengthen the orbit to correct west the nodes will flip, make sure that the one you circularize at is the one with the proper altitude.) For big corrections (more than 5 degrees or so) it's better to do it in multiple orbits to save on Delta-V. None of this requires much fuel, mind. Even a pretty heavy sat won't need more than one Oscar tank and an ant engine to circularize once it's off the carrier vessel.

[Person012345]

Otherwise you can use maneuver nodes and targetting to essentially rendevous with a point 120 degrees from the previous satellite.

[Francesco]

Easiest solution to geostationary orbit:

1. launch into a low orbit

2. wait for KSC to be 90° ahead of you

3. raise your apoapsis

4. circularize

5. profit

[KvickFlygarn87]

Easiest solution to geostationary orbit:

1. launch into a low orbit

2. wait for KSC to be 90° ahead of you

3. raise your apoapsis

4. circularize

5. profit

It's not that simple. first of all, what is a "low orbit"? 70km? 100 km? 250 km? Second of all, your method is not actually very precise.

Oh, and "90 degrees ahead of you" What reference direction, i.e. what is 0 degrees?

[Razgriz1]

The method I use is similar to the one described by Francesco. Launch your satellite into an orbit of 475km above Kerbin. From there, continue just as he describes: wait until the KSC is 90 degrees ahead of you (this is assuming that in a reference circle, your satellite would be at 0 degrees.) A handy trick here would be to put a ship on the launch pad then switch back to your satellite. That way, you have a specific point on your map. From there, burn prograde until your apoapsis reaches 2868.75 km. Then circularize when you reach that altitude.

Depending on your accuracy, your ability to estimate when the KSC is 90 degrees ahead of you, and your precision on the controls, the KSC might be a little ahead or behind you. If it is, don't worry. If it is ahead of you, then decrease your orbit by a few kilometers and wait until the KSC is below you then reestablish the keostationary orbit. If it is behind you, raise your orbit a bit and do the same thing.

This maneuver became a staple for me when I started to play with RemoteTech. Hope this helps!

[Benoit Hage]

The precise altitude of geostationary is 2868.356 KM and the time the Hohmann Transfer Orbital Period takes from 301.5 KM to 2868.356 KM is exacly 90min.

KSC is located at 74°5542W, so 90° before (when you start the injection burn) is 164°5542W or 15°4458E. Dont forget that your injection burn will take time, as well as your circulizing burn.

[FREEFALL1984]

I'm assuming you are using remote tech and require a short range comms network, in which case its seriously worth considering having 2 of the three satellites withing line of sight of the KSC, that way you don't need to worry about having excessive batteries for when your root satellite passes through kerbins shadow.

[lammatt]

Go to any geostationary transfer orbit.

let it run for a few periods until your ship is at your apogee which now lines up with KSC, burn prograde until T=6 hr 00 min 00s