Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Space weather can dramatically alter satellite orbits, and if you’re not modeling it, your predictions can be way off. Explore how space weather, which is caused by solar activity like geomagnetic storms, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections, heats and expands Earth’s upper atmosphere, increasing drag on low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
Look at how high-precision orbit propagators model these effects using real-time space weather data such as the F10.7 and Kp indices. A MATLAB® and Simulink® demonstration shows where two identical satellites diverge over time simply due to differences in drag modeling.
Related resources:
- Read Orbit Propagator Numerical (high precision) documentation: bit.ly/3Qlqe2N
- MATLAB Satellite Drag Example: bit.ly/4cFCEev
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Learn more about MATLAB: goo.gl/8QV7ZZ
Learn more about Simulink: goo.gl/nqnbLe
See what's new in MATLAB and Simulink: goo.gl/pgGtod
© 2026 The MathWorks, Inc. MATLAB and Simulink are registered trademarks of The MathWorks, Inc.
See mathworks.com/trademarks for a list of additional trademarks. Other product or brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Space weather can dramatically alter satellite orbits, and if you’re not modeling it, your predictions can be way off. Explore how space weather, which is caused by solar activity like geomagnetic storms, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections, heats and expands Earth’s upper atmosphere, increasing drag on low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
Look at how high-precision orbit propagators model these effects using real-time space weather data such as the F10.7 and Kp indices. A MATLAB® and Simulink® demonstration shows where two identical satellites diverge over time simply due to differences in drag modeling.
Related resources:
- Read Orbit Propagator Numerical (high precision) documentation: bit.ly/3Qlqe2N
- MATLAB Satellite Drag Example: bit.ly/4cFCEev
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get a free product trial: goo.gl/ZHFb5u
Learn more about MATLAB: goo.gl/8QV7ZZ
Learn more about Simulink: goo.gl/nqnbLe
See what's new in MATLAB and Simulink: goo.gl/pgGtod
© 2026 The MathWorks, Inc. MATLAB and Simulink are registered trademarks of The MathWorks, Inc.
See mathworks.com/trademarks for a list of additional trademarks. Other product or brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
