Accuracy and Speed Effects of Variable Step Integration for Orbit Determination and Propagation

Abstract

In this paper the fixed step Gauss-Jackson method is compared to two variable step integrators. The first is the variable step, variable order Shampine-Gordon method. The second is s-integration, which may be considered an analytical step regulation. Speed tests are performed for orbit propagation with the integrators set to give equivalent accuracy. The integrators are also tested for orbit determination, to determine the speed benefit of the variable step methods. The tests give an indication of the types of orbits where variable step methods are more efficient than fixed step methods.