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Calculate Satellite Orbits and What Disturbs Them

Grades 9-12: satellite orbits under gravity, small...

Where this course comes from

The universities and labs named here made the open projects or materials this course draws on. CIT designed the course independently; it is not an official, affiliated, or endorsed course of those institutions.

Where this course's material comes from
  • TU DelftOpen project it is built on
Open protected courseCheck course fit
  • Free consultation and level check
  • Apgujeong classroom or online
  • One-to-one or small group
  • Registered academy no. 11882
A three-dimensional plot of two lunar CubeSat trajectories around Earth with the Moon's orbit
Quick answer

Is Calculate Satellite Orbits and What Disturbs Them a good fit for high school students in Grades 9-12?

Calculate Satellite Orbits and What Disturbs Them is a good fit for students in grades 9-12 who are interested in satellite orbits under gravity and small forces that disturb orbits. CIT offers online or in-person lessons in Apgujeong, Gangnam, Seoul, in one-to-one or small-group formats. Students make orbit comparisons adding one force at a time, a reproducible mission notebook, and an orbit report on model choice and limits.

The course is built on an open project published by TU Delft. Students give TudatPy, a Python orbit library, a satellite's starting position and velocity and compute the basic orbit under gravity alone. They check the error from small time steps with energy, then add thin atmosphere, the gravity of a body that is not a true sphere, other bodies, and sunlight one at a time. Later lessons change an orbit with a short burn, search for Earth-to-Mars departure dates, and estimate an orbit from measured positions before a report on the simplest model that answers the question. The student then designs and tests an extension of their own: a new question, feature, model, interface, or solution. In an application or interview, the student separates the source research from their own decisions, results, failed attempts, revisions, and limits.

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I appreciated that a simple early idea was extended into an 'AI debate tool'. My child has always been interested in debate and social issues, so seeing that interest connect to the project makes me expect a more complete and distinctive result.
Parent of a CIT studentTranslated from Korean. One family's experience; the same result is not guaranteed.Read more parent feedback
Age group
Grades 9-12
Academic subject
AI & Data, Physics & Space, Research & PortfolioBrowse subject
Course type
Course
Format
Online or Apgujeong in person · one-to-one or small group
Teaching language
Korean by default, with complete English materials
Curriculum status
Lesson-readyEvery learning item includes the evidence, worked example, practical work, and tutor guidance required by CIT's lesson-ready standard.

From open research to student-owned work

Students inspect a relevant public source, reproduce the idea, then add an original question, feature, or test. The material this course reads was made at TU Delft. Names identify the source, not affiliation or endorsement.

Where this course's material comes from
  • TU DelftOpen project it is built on

How can I explain this course to my child?

If questions about satellite orbits under gravity or small forces that disturb orbits keep making you ask why, Calculate Satellite Orbits and What Disturbs Them lets you investigate the question with evidence, then build and defend an extension of your own.

Which interests suggest this course?

  • satellite orbits under gravity
  • small forces that disturb orbits
  • launch dates from Earth to Mars

What does the student finish?Orbit comparisons adding one force at a time, a reproducible mission notebook, and an orbit report on model choice and limits.

Is this a good fit?

A strong fit for students considering physics, aerospace, astronomy, engineering, or computational science.

Course placement follows current subject and coding readiness.

Students should be ready to document sources, methods, and limits.

Advanced tools are introduced after a clear baseline.

What will my child learn?

  1. Propagate a two-body orbit with the state vector, frame, time scale, and gravity parameter stated.
  2. Separate numerical integration error from physical perturbations with energy, angular momentum, and convergence checks.
  3. Add drag, non-spherical gravity, third bodies, and radiation pressure one step at a time.
  4. Complete a transfer, estimation, or perturbation question as a reproducible mission notebook with an oral explanation.
Where this course's material comes from
  • TU DelftOpen project it is built on

How does the course progress?

  1. 1
    Initial Motion and the Basic Orbit

    Set a starting position and velocity and compute how gravity curves the path into a baseline orbit.

  2. 2
    Small Time Steps and Small Forces

    Check step-by-step orbit calculations with energy, then add thin air, uneven gravity, nearby bodies, and sunlight.

  3. 3
    Changing Orbits and Measuring Position

    Change an orbit with a short burn, find departure dates from Earth to Mars, and estimate an orbit from measured positions.

  4. 4
    Orbit Report

    Choose the simplest orbit model the question needs and state its limits.

Students documenting and explaining hands-on work at CIT

What counts as useful evidence?

Orbit comparisons adding one force at a time, a reproducible mission notebook, and an orbit report on model choice and limits.

What should an admissions reader be able to see?

The course is built on an open project published by TU Delft. The student works out what those researchers were trying to learn, why the question matters, and how they tested it, then designs and tests an extension of their own: a new question, feature, model, interface, or solution. In an application or interview, the student separates the source research from their own decisions, results, failed attempts, revisions, and limits.

Useful evidence may include a reproducible simulation, parameter study, uncertainty analysis, physics explanation, and a comparison with expected behavior.

These names identify who published the open project the course starts from. The evidence an application reads is what the student understood, completed, and can explain.

Systems Lens

The real research project this course reads

The student adds and removes one force in an orbit computation and sees how far apart the satellite ends up a day later. In class the project is separated into five boxes (input, memory, process, output, control). The lesson opens one of them, changes one value, and leaves the rest closed.

  • InputWhat comes in?

    The starting position and velocity, which bodies are included, and which forces are counted

  • MemoryWhat persists?

    The state vector that strings position and velocity into one row

  • ProcessWhat transforms?

    Adding up the chosen forces to get how fast the state is changing

  • OutputWhat leaves, and who uses it?

    The state at each time, and the extra quantities chosen for saving

  • Controlopened hereWhat decides when anything runs?

    The integrator that sets how far time moves each step and shrinks it when the error grows

The 11 files this lesson opens, named and grouped by box

The files the lesson opens, by name. The course is not a walk through the repository; it opens a chosen few and says which.

The figure showing Earth gravity model moving, and what gets watched

One value moves and everything else stays. The right-hand column is the prediction written before the run, not a result; the work is reconciling the two.

On a narrow screen, swipe the picture sideways.

Open the pinned repositoryOpen the flow diagramWhat the Systems Lens is

The universities and labs named here made the open projects this course reads. CIT designed the course independently; it is not an official, affiliated, or endorsed course.

The tudat-team/tudatpy repository on GitHub at pinned version 2300d7fe3d7d
tudat-team/tudatpy on GitHub, pinned to version 2300d7fe3d7d. Screen saved on 2026-09-02. Open this version on GitHub

Which sources were reviewed?

Catalog reviewed: 2026-09-30

Where this course's material comes from
  • TU DelftOpen project it is built on

Questions parents search before choosing this course

Is Calculate Satellite Orbits and What Disturbs Them a good fit for high school students in Grades 9-12?

Calculate Satellite Orbits and What Disturbs Them is a good fit for students in grades 9-12 who are interested in satellite orbits under gravity and small forces that disturb orbits. CIT offers online or in-person lessons in Apgujeong, Gangnam, Seoul, in one-to-one or small-group formats. Students make orbit comparisons adding one force at a time, a reproducible mission notebook, and an orbit report on model choice and limits.

Can my child take Calculate Satellite Orbits and What Disturbs Them online or in person, one-to-one or in a small group?

Yes. CIT offers online and in-person lessons at its Apgujeong academy in Gangnam, Seoul, with one-to-one and small-group options. A readiness consultation confirms the available format and starting point for the course.

Does my child need prior subject knowledge or coding experience for Calculate Satellite Orbits and What Disturbs Them?

Course placement follows current subject and coding readiness. Students should be ready to document sources, methods, and limits. Advanced tools are introduced after a clear baseline.

What will my child make or practice in Calculate Satellite Orbits and What Disturbs Them?

The main evidence is orbit comparisons adding one force at a time, a reproducible mission notebook, and an orbit report on model choice and limits. Students also document decisions, tests, feedback, and limits in age-appropriate language.

How can Calculate Satellite Orbits and What Disturbs Them show research understanding in a college application?

The course is built on an open project published by TU Delft. The student works out what those researchers were trying to learn, why the question matters, and how they tested it, then designs and tests an extension of their own: a new question, feature, model, interface, or solution. In an application or interview, the student separates the source research from their own decisions, results, failed attempts, revisions, and limits. Useful evidence may include a reproducible simulation, parameter study, uncertainty analysis, physics explanation, and a comparison with expected behavior.

How are the schedule and tuition for Calculate Satellite Orbits and What Disturbs Them determined?

CIT confirms the student's readiness, goal, location, class size, and current availability before recommending a course plan. The consultation and level check are free; tuition is explained before enrollment.

When should a student start?

There is no fixed intake month. CIT reviews the student's current school term, readiness, and available hours, then names the point in the course where they should begin.

The teachers are always attentive and considerate, so we feel comfortable trusting them with our child.
Parent of an enrolled CIT studentTranslated from Korean. One family's experience; the same result is not guaranteed.Read more parent feedback

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