Karen Canne, Nokomis, Inc.
https://doi.org/10.64861/BMPO7102
Keywords: Passive RF, Constant Custody, Space Domain Awareness, Daylight Tracking, Unintended RF, satellite tracking
Abstract:
Passive RF sensing is emerging as a promising complementary technology to locate, identify, characterize, and track satellites. However, the perception that RF sensing requires satellites to transmit active signals to be detected, characterized, and tracked is incorrect based on the published results of LOFAR and SKA and the Hiawatha data collection described in this paper. Observations of commercial satellites under this work demonstrated the ability to utilize highly sensitive low-SWaP-C Radio Frequency (RF) sensing to characterize and track satellites. Broadband data was collected with a ground-based sensor to characterize the ultra-low power emissions of Starlink and Qianfan satellites from 30 MHz through 1 GHz and demonstrated the ability to track satellites using these emissions. The LOFAR and SKA facilities in Europe and Australia, respectively, published data on the unintended emissions from Starlink satellites over the narrow radio astronomy bands from 110 to 188. The collected data presented herein corroborates published results collected by these large , world-class radio astronomy facilities. In addition to collecting data in the radio astronomy bands, this work extended data collection to include the entire frequency band from 30 MHz to 1 GHz. The use of passive radio frequency detection as a modality provides augmentation in adverse weather or light conditions to traditional Radio-Telescope methods for detection and tracking of LEO satellites. Of significance and related to the uniqueness of this activity, the data was collected from a purpose-built small-footprint low SWaP-C system that is being matured for expeditionary Space Domain Awareness (SDA). The data collected provides a foundation for further work leveraging passive radio frequency detection for characterization and tracking of satellites in LEO and beyond.
Date of Conference: September 15-18, 2026
Track: SDA Systems & Instrumentation