Space debris observations with the Slovak AGO70 telescope: Astrometry and light curves

Šilha, Jiří; Krajcovic, Stanislav; Zigo, Matej; Tóth, Juraj; Zilkova, D.; Zigo, P.; Kornoš, Leonard; Šimon, Jaroslav; Schildknecht, Thomas; Cordelli, Emiliano; Vananti, Alessandro; Mann, Harleen Kaur; Rachman, Abdul; Paccolat, Christophe; Flohrer, Tim

doi:10.1016/j.asr.2020.01.038

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Using postprocessing, it is possible to extract the position of the object from the image frame and relate the vector of position changes to the current movement of the telescope (Figure 6). It should be mentioned that passive optical acquisition also enables the reference of the object's position to the recorded star trails (astrometry) [21]. Such information can therefore be treated as a correction of the theoretical ephemeris position, which is introduced into the control loop of the Az/El axes of the telescope mount.…”

Section: Passive Optical Acquisition Active Control Loopmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It should be mentioned that passive optical acquisition also enables the reference of the object’s position to the recorded star trails (astrometry) [ 21 ]. Such information can therefore be treated as a correction of the theoretical ephemeris position, which is introduced into the control loop of the

axes of the telescope mount.…”

Section: Active Control Loopmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Active Control Loop of the BOROWIEC SLR Space Debris Tracking System

Suchodolski

2022

Sensors

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The task of tracking cooperative satellites equipped with laser retroreflectors, by means of Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR), is an issue well described in the literature. The follow-up movement of the ground-based transceiver telescope behind an orbital object is based on the positional ephemeris data. The problem of controlling the follow-up motion of the telescope’s mount mostly in the Az/El configuration in this case boils down to the interpolation of the positional ephemeris data of the orbital object, which is the information input vector for the motion control system of the orthogonal and non-coupled axes of the propulsion system. In the case of tracking and determining the position of uncooperative objects (not equipped with retroreflectors), for which we can include rocket bodies and fragmentary elements, the task of keeping track of them becomes complex. The positional uncertainty of the ephemeris of uncooperative objects obtained mainly by means of survey radar acquisition requires the use of innovative solutions and complex control systems that enable the effective implementation of the tracking process. This paper presents innovative methods for the active control loop used in the SLR technique, consisting of dynamic motion corrections based on the passive optical acquisition with object recognition and analysis of the photon trace scattered from an orbital object.

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Section: Passive Optical Acquisition Active Control Loopmentioning

confidence: 99%

axes of the telescope mount.…”

Section: Active Control Loopmentioning

confidence: 99%

Active Control Loop of the BOROWIEC SLR Space Debris Tracking System

Suchodolski

2022

Sensors

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“…(Osborn et al 2022). From another perspective, Timau can also be a good site for RSO and space debris observation and characterisation (Šilha et al 2020;Danarianto et al 2022).…”

Section: Strategic Values Of the Timau Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Characterisation of Timau National Observatory using limited in-situ measurements

Priyatikanto,

Mumpuni,

Hidayat

et al. 2022

Preprint

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A new astronomical observatory in southeastern Indonesia is currently under construction. This Timau National Observatory will host a 3.8-metre telescope for optical and near-infrared observations. To support the operation and planning, the characterisation of the site needs to be appropriately performed. However, limited resources and access to the site hindered the deployment of instruments for comprehensive site testing. Fortunately, in-situ sky brightness data from the Sky Quality Meter (SQM) have been available for almost two years. Based on the data acquired in 470 nights, we obtain a background sky brightness of 𝜇 0 = 21.86 ± 0.38 magnitude/arcsec 2 . Additionally, we evaluate the moonlit sky brightness to estimate the atmospheric extinction coefficient (𝑘) and level of scattering on site. We find an alleviated value of 𝑘 = 0.48 ± 0.04, associated with a high atmospheric aerosol content. It is considered regular for an equatorial area situated at a low altitude (∼1300 masl). By analysing the fluctuation of the sky brightness and infrared images from Himawari-8 satellite, we estimate the available observing time (AOT) of at least 5.3 hours/night and the yearly average percentage of usable nights of 66%. The monthly average AOT from SQM and satellite data analysis correlate with 𝑅 = 0.82. In terms of the monthly percentage of usable nights, the correlation coefficient is 𝑅 = 0.78. During the wet season (November-April), the results from SQM and satellite data analysis deviate more significantly, mainly due to the limited capability of Himawari-8 in detecting fragmented low-altitude clouds. According to these results, we expect Timau to complement other observatories greatly.

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“…3/2 2 − 3 sin 2 i the rate of the mean anomaly (10) where, n = µ a 3 is the mean motion, R E = 6, 378, 137 m the Earth radius, and e the orbit eccentricity. For the GEO orbit, we can assume a = 36, 000 km + R E , e = 0, i = 0, J 2 = 1.08263 × 10 −3 , and µ = 3.986 × 10 5 km 3 /s 2 .…”

Section: Improvement Of Sma Accuracy By Application Of the Lambert Equation To Two Arcsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ground-based optical telescopes have been primary facilities for detecting GEO objects, such as GEODSS [2], JAXA/IAT [3], AIUB ZIMLAT [4], Falcon [5], OWL-Net [6], FocusGEO [7], SSON [8,9], AGO70 [10], APOSOS [11], and so on. However, they are unable to detect and monitor GEO objects outside their effective FOV, and cataloguing the GEO objects over the full GEO region requires a global ground network, which may be unachievable for some countries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Short-Arc Association and Orbit Determination for New GEO Objects with Space-Based Optical Surveillance

Jian¹,

Lei

Zhao

et al. 2021

Aerospace

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For Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) objects, space-based optical surveillance has advantages over regional ground surveillance in terms of both the timeliness and space coverage. However, space-based optical surveillance may only collect sparse and short orbit arcs, and thus make the autonomous arc association and orbit determination a challenge for new GEO objects without a priori orbit information. In this paper, a three-step approach tackling these two critical problems is proposed. First, under the near-circular orbit assumption, a multi-point optimal initial orbit determination (IOD) method is developed to improve the IOD convergence rate and the accuracy of the IOD solution with angles-only observations over a short arc. Second, the Lambert equation is applied to associate two independent short arcs in an attempt to improve accuracy of the single-arc IOD semi-major axis (SMA) with the use of virtual ranges between the optical sensor and GEO object. The key idea in the second step is to generate accurate ranges at observation epochs, which, along with the real angle data, are then used to achieve much improved SMA accuracy. The third step is basically the repeated application of the second step to three or more arcs. The high success rate of arc associations and accurate orbit determination using the proposed approach are demonstrated with simulated space-based angle data over short arcs, each being only 3 min. The results show that the proposed approach is able to determine the orbit of a new GEO at a three-dimensional accuracy of about 15 km from about 10 arcs, each having a length of about 3 min, thus achieving reliable cataloguing of uncatalogued GEO objects. The IOD and two-arc association methods are also tested with the real ground-based observations for both GEO and LEO objects of near-circular orbits, further validating the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

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Space debris observations with the Slovak AGO70 telescope: Astrometry and light curves

Cited by 17 publications

References 28 publications

Active Control Loop of the BOROWIEC SLR Space Debris Tracking System

Active Control Loop of the BOROWIEC SLR Space Debris Tracking System

Characterisation of Timau National Observatory using limited in-situ measurements

Short-Arc Association and Orbit Determination for New GEO Objects with Space-Based Optical Surveillance

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