Simulation of RSO Images for Space Situation Awareness (SSA) Using Parallel Processing

With the rapid increase in resident space objects (RSO), there is a growing demand for their identification and characterization to advance space simulation awareness (SSA) programs. Various AI-based technologies are proposed and demonstrated around the world to effectively and efficiently identify RSOs from ground and space-based observations; however, there remains a challenge in AI training due to the lack of labeled datasets for accurate RSO detection. In this paper, we present an overview of the starfield simulator to generate a realistic representation of images from space-borne imagers. In particular, we focus on low-resolution images such as those taken with a commercial-grade star tracker that contains various RSO in starfield images. The accuracy and computational efficiency of the simulator are compared to the commercial simulator, namely STK-EOIR to demonstrate the performance of the simulator. In comparing over 1000 images from the Fast Auroral Imager (FAI) onboard CASSIOPE satellite, the current simulator generates both stars and RSOs with approximately the same accuracy (compared to the real images) as STK-EOIR and, an order of magnitude faster in computational speed by leveraging parallel processing methodologies.

The Ad Hoc Back-End of the BIRALET Radar to Measure Slant-Range and Doppler Shift of Resident Space Objects

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.

Experimental Comparison of Radon Domain Approaches for Resident Space Object’s Parameter Estimation

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.