Manuel Pavy, CNES; Valentin Baral, CNES; Emmanuel Delande, CNES; Yvan Gary, CNES; Pascal Richard, CNES; Raphel Ferme, CS Group
Keywords: break-up, fragmentation, cataloguing, telescopes, correlation, filter,
Abstract:
In 2024, we witnessed two major fragmentation events in the vicinity of geostationary orbits, a critical region for various space applications. The recent fragmentation of Atlas V Centaur on Sep 6, 2024, and Intelsat 33E on Oct 19, 2024, whether due to collisions or explosions, play a major part in the current growth of space debris in the Geostationary orbit (GEO) region. These events, although rare, have significant impact on the space environment, especially at GEO altitudes where pieces of debris linger in orbit almost indefinitely.
These unfortunate events underline the critical importance of space surveillance. The timely description of the cloud of debris, and its integration to the space catalog, are essential to maintaining the safety and sustainability of space activities. Estimating the composition (size and individual states) of the cloud of debris right after its inception is paramount to the efficiency of the cataloging process, but it entails specific challenges: 1 ) Observing the cloud right after the fragmentation event requires specific cueing strategies of the sensor network, beyond the usual surveillance routine. 2) The measurement-to-track association is particularly ambiguous in the early stages of the cloud’s lifetime, especially so since a priori information about the composition of the cloud is scarce at best.
This paper will address these two critical steps, in the context of the French orbital catalog maintained by the French Space Agency (i.e. Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales) (CNES). We will first explain how, in the first nights, the system was able to acquire photos and gather information useful for the next nights with only three telescopes. This ability is based on the following principle: The sooner a fragment is cataloged; the more time we have to catalog others. When the information about a potential fragmentation is triggered, we program the telescope to observe according to two strategies: 1. track the main body and detect other fragments, 2. follow the new observed fragments. Then, the cataloging process tracks and characterizes the different fragments; each step will be detailed in the context of Intelsat 33E fragmentation in this paper.
Date of Conference: September 16-19, 2025
Track: Space Debris