The development of oceanography and meteorology has greatly benefited from satellite-based data of Earth’s atmosphere and ocean. Traditional Earth observation missions have utilised Sun-synchronous orbits with repeat ground tracks due to their advantages in visible and infrared wavelengths. However, diversification of observation wavelengths and massive deployment of miniaturised satellites are both enabling and necessitating new kinds of space missions. This paper proposes several unconventional satellite orbits intended for use in, but not limited to, Earth observation. This ‘toolbox’ of orbits and taxonomy thereof will thus support the definition of design requirements for the individual satellites in nano-satellite constellations developed by national space agencies, industries and academia.

中文翻译：

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未来太空任务的太阳同步重复地面轨道和其他有用轨道

海洋学和气象学的发展极大地受益于基于卫星的地球大气和海洋数据。传统的地球观测任务利用具有重复地面轨迹的太阳同步轨道，因为它们在可见光和红外波长方面具有优势。然而，观测波长的多样化和小型卫星的大规模部署既使新的太空任务成为可能，也使新的太空任务成为必要。本文提出了几个非常规卫星轨道，用于但不限于地球观测。因此，这个轨道及其分类的“工具箱”将支持国家航天机构、工业界和学术界开发的纳米卫星星座中单个卫星的设计要求的定义。