What is the approximated value of the area-to-mass ratio of a spent rocket upper stage on GTO used in the launch of a GEO satellite? 0.005 m^2/kg or larger?
For the Ariane 5 the upperstage comes in two versions:
a) With the AESTUS engine; length = 3.4 m, diameter = 5.4 m, empty mass = 1.2 tons
b) With the HM-7B engine; length = 4.7 m, diameter = 5.4 m, empty mass = 4.6 tons
Hope that helps...
You might look at the King-Hele Table of Artificial Earth Satellites (now maintained online) to see what values occur in practice. I also not that you might want to specify the purpose of the area to mass ratio. If you are concerned with solar radiation pressure, you have to make an assumption with respect to attitude. Finally, because rocket bodies do not have solar panels, the area to mass ratio is likely smaller than an actual satellite
Thanks, Prof. Cefola. I find the RAE Table of Artificial Earth Satellites that contains specific parameters for the objects on orbit. I am mainly concerned with the atmospheric drag, since in the GTO the drag is more significant than SRP for a low area-to-mass-ratio upper stage. After some calculation with the Ariane 5 upper stages and checking the RAE Table of Artificial Earth Satellites, I think that in the general studies the considered range of the area to mass ratio of a spent upper stage may be 0.002-0.02 m^2/kg.
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