Two-Body Partial Derivatives

This document is a compilation of partial derivatives of the astrodynamic two-body problem. Partial
derivatives are summarized for circular, elliptical and hyperbolic two-body motion.

Downstream error propagation derivatives for a circular orbit

v f
 2cos  f  1
v

 rf
v

2ri
vi
1  cos f 

 f 2
 sin  f
v vi

 f
v

1
vi
 4sin  f  3 f 

v f
 vi sin  f


 rf
 ri sin  f


 f
 cos  f


 f
 2 1  cos  f 


where

ri  initial position magnitude

rf  final position magnitude
vi  initial velocity magnitude   ri
v f  final velocity magnitude
 f  final true anomaly
 f  final flight path angle
  gravitational constant

page 1
Elliptical orbits

apoapsis radius with respect to r, v, 

 ra 1  e cos  1  e 
 2  e  e2  cos   e cos  
r 1  e 
2 2

2a 2 1  2e  e2  1  cos  
3

 ra

v  1  e2  1  2e cos   e2 
1 1
2 2

 ra a 1  e  sin 
2


 1  e cos 

periapsis radius with respect to r, v, 

 rp 1  e cos 1  e 
 2  e  e 2
 cos   e cos  
r 1  e 
2 2

2a 2 1  2e  e2  1  cos  
3

 rp

v  1  e2  1  2e cos   e2 
1 1
2 2

 rp a 1  e2  sin 

 1  e cos 

orbital period with respect to r, v, 

 3 a  3  2a  r  3av 
 2   0
r r v rv  

true anomaly with respect to r, v, 

 sin  1  e cos  

r ae 1  e 2 

a 1  e 2 
1

 2sin    2
  
v e   1  2e cos   e 2  


2
1  e 2
 cos  
 
 e 1  e cos  

page 2
orbital eccentricity with respect to r, v, 

 e v 2 cos2  e  cos 
 a  r 
r e a r

 e 2rv cos2 
 a  r
v  ea

 e r 2v 2 sin 2

 2  ea

semimajor axis with respect to r, v, 

 a 2a 2  a 2a 2 v a
 2  0
r r v  

semimajor axis, eccentricity, orbital period and apogee radius with respect to periapsis radius

2 1  e cos  
2 2
a 
 ra 
 a 2

 2   2   
 rp 
 rp 1  e  
  rp  1  e2 
2

 e e  cos 

 rp rp

 3 a
 2
 rp rp

 ra 1  e cos   2  cos   e 

 rp 1  e 
2

semimajor axis, eccentricity, orbital period and apogee radius with respect to periapsis velocity

 a 2a  2a  rp 

v p rp v p

 e 2  e  cos  

v p vp

 3  2a  rp 

v p rp v p

 ra 2a 1  cos  1  e 

v p v p 1  e 
page 3
 where
r  position magnitude

v  velocity magnitude

  flight path angle

  true anomaly
e  orbital eccentricity

rp  periapsis radius

ra  apoapsis radius

a  semimajor axis

  orbital period

In the following series of equations, x represents the Cartesian state vector consisting of position vector
r, and velocity velocity v.

position vector
r
 rT r 0
x 

velocity vector
v
 0 vT v 
x

angular momentum vector

h
 I  v r  I
x

angular momentum magnitude

h
 hT  I  v  h hT r  I  h 
x

eccentricity vector

e
  v 2   1 r  I  rrT r 3  v vT  2r vT    v r  I   vr T  
x

specific orbital energy

C3
 2 rT r 3 2 vT 
x

page 4
 sine of flight path angle

 sin 
  vˆ T  I r  rrT r 3  rˆ T  I v  vvT v 3 
x

semimajor axis

 a 2a 2r  a 2a 2 v
 3 
r r v 

where

T
r   rx , ry , rz   position vector

r  r  position magnitude
T
v   v x , v y , v z   velocity vector

v  v  velocity magnitude
T
h  r  v   hx , h y , hz   angular momentum vector

h  r  v  angular momentum magnitude

e  orbital eccentricity vector

1 0 0 
I  0 1 0  identity matrix
 
0 0 1 

Hyperbolic orbits

In the following series of equations, x represents the state vector consisting of position vector r, and
velocity velocity v. C3 is equal to twice the specific (per unit mass) orbital energy.

scaled unit asymptote vector

s  sˆ C
 C3  sˆ 3
x x x

C33   h    e   C  e  3 C3 2   e   1 C3

 2 
 e    h     23   2 e  s  2 e
 e   x    x   e  x  2C3  x e   x   2e  x

page 5
The asymptote unit vector of a hyperbolic orbit is given by

cos   cos   
 
sˆ   cos   sin   
 sin  
  

In this expression,   is the right ascension of the asymptote (RLA), and   is the declination of the
asymptote (DLA).

The asymptote unit vector at any trajectory time can also be computed from

1 
 C3  
 1 
 C3  

sˆ    h  e  e      h  e  e 
h   
  
2
p
 1  C3  
1  C3 2   
 

where p is the semi-parameter of the orbit.

page 6