Feasibility Study of Extracting Range Data From Resident Space Objects Using In-Orbit Observers

Author(s):  
Aref Asgari ◽  
Matthew Driedger ◽  
Philip Ferguson
Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 577
Author(s):  
Luca Schirru ◽  
Tonino Pisanu ◽  
Angelo Podda

Space debris is a term for all human-made objects orbiting the Earth or reentering the atmosphere. The population of space debris is continuously growing and it represents a potential issue for active satellites and spacecraft. New collisions and fragmentation could exponentially increase the amount of debris and so the level of risk represented by these objects. The principal technique used for the debris monitoring, in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) between 200 km and 2000 km of altitude, is based on radar systems. The BIRALET system represents one of the main Italian radars involved in resident space objects observations. It is a bi-static radar, which operates in the P-band at 410–415 MHz, that uses the Sardinia Radio Telescope as receiver. In this paper, a detailed description of the new ad hoc back-end developed for the BIRALET radar, with the aim to perform slant-range and Doppler shift measurements, is presented. The new system was successfully tested in several validation measurement campaigns, the results of which are reported and discussed.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1298
Author(s):  
Selenia Ghio ◽  
Marco Martorella ◽  
Daniele Staglianò ◽  
Dario Petri ◽  
Stefano Lischi ◽  
...  

The fast and uncontrolled rise of the space objects population is threatening the safety of space assets. At the moment, space awareness solutions are among the most calling research topic. In fact, it is vital to persistently observe and characterize resident space objects. Instrumental highlights for their characterization are doubtlessly their size and rotational period. The Inverse Radon Transform (IRT) has been demonstrated to be an effective method for this task. The analysis presented in this paper has the aim to compare various approaches relying on IRT for the estimation of the object’s rotation period. Specifically, the comparison is made on the basis of simulated and experimental data.


2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth A. Hart ◽  
Kyle R. Simonis ◽  
Bradley A. Steinfeldt ◽  
Robert D. Braun

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (20) ◽  
pp. 4361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Hilton ◽  
Federico Cairola ◽  
Alessandro Gardi ◽  
Roberto Sabatini ◽  
Nichakorn Pongsakornsathien ◽  
...  

This paper presents a sensor-orientated approach to on-orbit position uncertainty generation and quantification for both ground-based and space-based surveillance applications. A mathematical framework based on the least squares formulation is developed to exploit real-time navigation measurements and tracking observables to provide a sound methodology that supports separation assurance and collision avoidance among Resident Space Objects (RSO). In line with the envisioned Space Situational Awareness (SSA) evolutions, the method aims to represent the navigation and tracking errors in the form of an uncertainty volume that accurately depicts the size, shape, and orientation. Simulation case studies are then conducted to verify under which sensors performance the method meets Gaussian assumptions, with a greater view to the implications that uncertainty has on the cyber-physical architecture evolutions and Cognitive Human-Machine Systems required for Space Situational Awareness and the development of a comprehensive Space Traffic Management framework.


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