Fig. 5: Angular orbital elements referred to in this study.
From: Low cost satellite constellations for nearly continuous global coverage
Inclination (\(i\)) is the angle at which the orbit is tilted out of the equatorial plane. Right ascension of the ascending node (\({\Omega }\), RAAN) is the angle of rotation around the Earth spin axis referenced by convention to the direction of the sun at the vernal equinox. The argument of perigee (\(\omega\)) describes the position of the perigee point relative to the point on the orbit which ascends across the equator. True anomaly (\(\nu\)) is the angle in the orbit plane between a satellite at an instant in time and perigee. In addition to these angular elements, the semimajor axis (\(a\)) and eccentricity (\(e\)) describe the size and shape of the orbit, respectively.
