<p>TLE sets serve as input elements for the SGP4 orbital propagator. Several orbital perturbation effects are considered in the SGP4. However, it is not obvious to me how (or if) the solar radiation pressure is accounted for in the SGP4.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-09-14T11:15:10.953Z
modern implementations of SGP4 contain SDP4, but that's not what you are asking about, see: [How do SDP4's “Deep space” corrections to SGP4 account for the Sun's and Moon's gravity?](https://space.stackexchange.com/q/23810/12102) I'm pretty sure SGP4 has no provision to handle solar radiation pressure explicitly, and I don't think it can end up in the drag terms of a given TLE by accident very often, because the impulses will tend to cancel most of the time, but I can't prove that so someone else will have to write an answer.\
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-09-14T11:17:02.673Z
Plenty of deep space probes and some small astronomical bodies will have measurable heliocentric orbital perturbations from solar photon pressure, but again that's not what you asked about. Nonetheless, for reference only: [Did Rosetta improve on models of non-gravitational effects on comet 67P's orbit?](https://space.stackexchange.com/q/18474/12102)
uhoh
<orbit><radiation>
How is solar radiation pressure included in the SGP4 orbital propagator?
fl0ta''
# How is solar radiation pressure included in the SGP4 orbital propagator?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-09-14)

TLE sets serve as input elements for the SGP4 orbital propagator. Several orbital perturbation effects are considered in the SGP4. However, it is not obvious to me how (or if) the solar radiation pressure is accounted for in the SGP4.

**Tags:** orbit, radiation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: modern implementations of SGP4 contain SDP4, but that's not what you are asking about, see: [How do SDP4's “Deep space” corrections to SGP4 account for the Sun's and Moon's gravity?](https://space.stackexchange.com/q/23810/12102) I'm pretty sure SGP4 has no provision to handle solar radiation pressure explicitly, and I don't think it can end up in the drag terms of a given TLE by accident very often, because the impulses will tend to cancel most of the time, but I can't prove that so someone else will have to write an answer.\  
> **username_1**: Plenty of deep space probes and some small astronomical bodies will have measurable heliocentric orbital perturbations from solar photon pressure, but again that's not what you asked about. Nonetheless, for reference only: [Did Rosetta improve on models of non-gravitational effects on comet 67P's orbit?](https://space.stackexchange.com/q/18474/12102)  

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