Orbit cranking a.k.a. orbit pumping is a process that changes the plane of an orbit while keeping the altitude the same. Orbit cranking requires a lot of propellant and is not a very efficient method to get into a desired orbit.

The required delta-v for orbit cranking is given in the equation below.

del_v = 2 Vcsin(alpha/2)

Where Vc is the velocity required to maintain the current altitude.

Alpha is the desired change in orbital inclination (in radians, not degrees)

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.