Two-dimensional phase plane structure and the stability of the orbital motion for space debris in the geosynchronous ring Original Research Article

Based on the orbital resonance model, we study the two-dimensional phase plane structure of the motion of space debris orbiting the geosynchronous ring under the combined effects of the tesseral harmonics J22, J31 and J33 of the Earth’s gravitational field. We present the main characteristic parameters of the two-dimensional phase plane structure. We also analyze the stability of the two-dimensional phase plane structure with numerical method. Our main findings indicate that the combined effects of the tesseral harmonics J22, J31 and J33 fully determine the two-dimensional phase plane structure of the space debris, and it remains robust under the effect of the Earth’s actual gravitational field, the luni-solar perturbations and the solar radiation pressure with the normal area-to-mass ratios.