A High-Accuracy and High-Efficiency Satellite Shadow Function Model for Oblate Earth

To achieve high-accuracy solar radiation pressure analysis, this study proposes a new high-accuracy and high-efficiency (HAHE) shadow function model considering the oblateness of the Earth, for the oblateness of the Earth has much influence in the calculation of the shadow factor. The sphere shadow function model has been improved in this study with an accurate shadow function that considers the Earth’s oblateness. Then, using the accurate shadow function model, a new HAHE shadow function model is proposed to calculate a simulated satellite orbit’s changes of shadow factor, which is analyzed and compared with the existing shadow function model and the accurate shadow function model. The results show that the difference between the HAHE shadow function and the accurate shadow function is tiny. Moreover, the HAHE shadow function is 113 times faster than the accurate shadow function model.