The long-term forecast of station view periods

Using dynamical systems theory, a definite integral is obtained that gives the average view period of a ground station for spacecraft in circular orbits. Minor restrictions exist on the class of circular orbits to which this method can be applied. This method avoids the propagation of the orbit, which requires a lot of resources, and simplifies the algorithm used to compute the mean station view period. The integral is used for long-term station load forecast studies. It also provides a quantitative measure of the effectiveness of a ground station as a function of its latitude.