Annales Geophysicae
Annales Geophysicae
ANGEO
Articles | Volume 39, issue 3
Articles | Volume 39, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-397-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-397-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 39, issue 3
Regular paper
 | 
07 May 2021
Regular paper |  | 07 May 2021

Atmospheric drag effects on modelled low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites during the July 2000 Bastille Day event in contrast to an interval of geomagnetically quiet conditions

Victor U. J. Nwankwo, William Denig, Sandip K. Chakrabarti, Muyiwa P. Ajakaiye, Johnson Fatokun, Adeniyi W. Akanni, Jean-Pierre Raulin, Emilia Correia, John E. Enoh, and Paul I. Anekwe

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Short summary
In this work, we simulated the effect of atmospheric drag on satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) during 1-month intervals of disturbed and quiet solar geomagnetic activity. Our results show that geomagnetic storms (e.g. the Bastille Day event) can cause a significant drop in LEO satellite altitudes and increase their background orbit decay rate by 50–70 %. This work can contribute to improved situational awareness and mitigation of potential threats solar energetic events pose to satellites.
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