The orbit of the International Space Station continuously decays due to atmospheric drag
Low Earth orbit objects like the International Space Station continuously experience atmospheric drag, causing their orbits to decay over time unless counteracted by propulsive maneuvers.
The retrieved papers consistently confirm that objects in low Earth orbit experience continuous atmospheric drag leading to orbital decay, which is a foundational principle of satellite operations and astrodynamics.
Weerasinghe J, Prasad K, Mathew J, Trifoni E, Baranov O, Levchenko I, Bazaka K. Carbon Nanocomposites in Aerospace Technology: A Way to Protect Low-Orbit Satellites.. 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13111763
Paper 0 confirms that spacecraft in low Earth orbit experience significant atmospheric drag requiring regular thruster burns to maintain stable orbits.
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Ding Y, Li Z, Liu C, Kang Z, Sun M, Sun J, Chen L. Analysis of the Impact of Atmospheric Models on the Orbit Prediction of Space Debris.. 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23218993
Paper 6 examines how atmospheric drag impacts orbital decay and prediction for low Earth orbit objects.
Kim J, Eom G, Kwak Y, Yang T, Huh H. Impact of geomagnetic storm intensity on thermospheric density and orbital decay of LEO satellites: a G1–G5 per-event analysis. 2026. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-10045904/v1
Paper 8 details how atmospheric drag increases orbital decay rates for low Earth orbit satellites.
Mutschler S, Pilinski M, Bruinsma S, Sutton E, Tobiska WK, Knipp D, Fang TW, Casali S, Mallik V, DiLorenzo B, Siemes C. A Survey of Current Operations-Ready Thermospheric Density Models for Drag Modeling in LEO Operations.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40295-025-00558-8
Paper 10 discusses the critical role of atmospheric drag in low Earth orbit satellite trajectory prediction and operations.
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