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The Clohessy-Wiltshire equations describe a simplified model of orbital relative motion, in which the target is in a circular orbit, and the chaser spacecraft is in an elliptical or circular orbit. This model gives a first-order approximation of the chaser's motion in a target-centered coordinate system. It is very useful in planning rendezvous of the chaser with the target.
For illustration, in low earth orbit μ = 3.986 × 10 14 m 3 / s 2 {\displaystyle \mu =3.986\times 10^{14}\;m^{3}/s^{2}} and a = 6 , 793 , 137 m {\displaystyle a=6,793,137\;m} , implying n = 0.00113 s − 1 {\displaystyle n=0.00113\;s^{-1}} , corresponding to an orbital period of about 93 minutes.