Pierre-Louis Mayeur, DOTA, ONERA; Delphine Barbon-Dubosc, DOTA, ONERA; Stéphane Basa, UAR Pytheas – OHP, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille; Pierre-Eric Blanc, UAR Pytheas – OHP; Aurélie Bonnefois, DOTA, ONERA; Frederic Cassaing, DOTA, ONERA; François Dolon, UAR Pytheas – OHP; Marc Ferrari, UAR Pytheas – OHP, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille; Romain Fetick, DOTA, ONERA; Johan Floriot, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille; Yves-Michel Frédéric, DOTA, ONERA; Laurent Hespel, DOTA, ONERA; Julien Houy, DOTA, ONERA; Gillian Leplat, DOTA, ONERA; Vincent Michau, DOTA, ONERA; Cyril Petit, DOTA, ONERA; Jean-François Sauvage, DOTA, ONERA; Ugo Tricoli, DOTA, ONERA; Axel Vincent-Randonnier, DOTA, ONERA; Nicolas Vedrenne, DOTA, ONERA; Thierry Fusco, DOTA, ONERA
Keywords: Adaptive Optics, Optical Ground Station, Telescope, satellite imaging, LEO, GEO, SDA
Abstract:
With the development of human activities in space, the independent control by Europe of its territory necessitates growing capabilities of Space Domain Awareness (SDA).
This analysis motivated ONERA – The French Aerospace Laboratory – to launch the project named PROVIDENCE, French acronym for Plateforme de Recherche en Optique, Vecteur d’Innovation pour la Défense sur la maîtrise et compréhension de l’ENvironnement et la Caractérisation des objets dans l’Espace (Optics Research Platform, Defence Innovation Vector for control, understanding and Space-objects Characterization).
The aim of this project is to develop, by 2028, an observation ground station including a 2.5m-class telescope optimized for High Angular Resolution (i.e. equipped with one or more Adaptive Optics system(s)) allowing, among others, LEO (Low Earth Orbit) and GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit) objects detection, identification and monitoring. PROVIDENCE also aims to address scientific challenges in the fields of astronomy, Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), transients, as well as industrial applications in space telecommunications.
The PROVIDENCE project undertook a comprehensive system analysis to define the State-of-the-Art specifications for a 2.5m telescope optimized for high resolution on LEO and GEO satellites. This rigorous exercise aimed to maximize the telescope’s performance in addressing pressing space surveillance challenges.
This study enabled us to draft a Technical Specification Need document (TSN) for the Telescope System, Dome System and Station Control System, outlining the expected technical characteristics identified by ONERA that must be met to achieve the Top-Level Requirements (TLR). The system analysis of the telescope, adaptive optics, and first-light instruments is currently underway, with initial results to be presented at the AMOS Conference.
ONERA, in collaboration with Observatoire de Haute-Provence (CNRS/OSU Pythéas), aims to design the PROVIDENCE telescope to achieve a high level of performance from first light (30% Strehl ratio and Diffraction-Limited performance in the visible spectrum). As the PROVIDENCE observation station is intended to be a research platform, it is also specified to enable testing of innovative components (such as an Adaptive Secondary Mirror) with a view to developing a future 4m-class SSA-optimized European Telescope.
The PROVIDENCE telescope will be sited at the Haute-Provence Observatory (OHP) in the South of France, a location not ideally suited for astronomical observations due to its average seeing conditions, requiring a system analysis that carefully considers and mitigates environmental constraints.
This specification document will feed the various stages of technical discussions with European industrial consortia, facilitating the necessary trade-offs to achieve the PROVIDENCE Optical Ground Station that meets our scientific Top-Level Requirement (TLR) while ensuring a cost compatibility with the project’s budget.
Beyond its initial development phase, the PROVIDENCE project is designed to evolve to demonstrate operational capabilities, enabling autonomous station operation. To support this ambition, the ground station will be equipped with six parallel instrument platforms (2 Nasmyth and 4 Coudé platforms), allowing for the seamless integration of various payloads and fostering a flexible, future-proof architecture. This strategic approach will facilitate the demonstration of PROVIDENCE’s full potential in supporting European Space Domain Awareness, while paving the way for potential operational deployments.
The presentation will cover the telescope’s technical specifications, preliminary results from our system-level analysis, and a review of the anticipated performance outcomes.
Date of Conference: September 16-19, 2025
Track: SDA Systems & Instrumentation