Statistical Analysis of the Orbital Motion of Selected Artificial Earth Satellites during Solar Cycle 24

A statistical analysis of selected parameters of solar activity and orbital motion of artificial Earth satellites (AES’s) during solar cycle 24 is carried out. Inactive satellites, launch vehicle (LV) stages, and their debris moving mainly in low orbits are studied. Different analysis algorithms are applied to the time series of the solar radio flux F_10.7 and the calculated deceleration rate dP/dt of the investigated space objects (SOs): their annual statistical indices are estimated, these parameters are studied for periodicity (wavelet analysis), and a test additive decomposition into trend and seasonal components is performed. It is found that the satellite deceleration rate in the vicinity of the solar maximum (2012–2014) increases by a factor of ten. For the solar radio flux F_10.7 and the kinematic parameter dP/dt of SOs 06073 and 31117, seasonal changes, cyclicity with a period of 27 days, etc. are confirmed. A clear anticorrelation between the trends of the corresponding parameters within –0.73…‒0.95 for SO 31117 during 2011–2018 and –0.82…–0.95 for SO 37794 during 2012–2018 is observed.