Shashanka Athigiri, Digantara Research and Technologies; Ananthu Krishna S, Digantara Reasearch and Technologies; Tanveer Ahmed, Digantara Research and Technologies
Keywords: Traveling Salesman Problem, GEO Belt Observation, Analytical Methods, Object Cataloguing, Satellite Observation, Telescope Efficiency.
Abstract:
Observing and cataloguing satellites in GEO Belt is a crucial endeavour for space situational awareness applications. The GEO belt, located approximately 35786 km above Earth’s equator, hosts a multitude of communication, weather, and navigation satellites critical to global telecommunications, weather monitoring, and navigation systems. However, the efficient and comprehensive observation of satellites within the GEO region presents significant logistical challenges due to the vast number of satellites and the need for precise observational planning. Accurate cataloguing and monitoring of satellites within the GEO belt are essential for satellite tracking, collision avoidance, and space situational awareness.
Traditional methods of satellite observation often involve static telescope positioning or sub optimal manual scanning techniques, which can be time-consuming and inefficient. Moreover, given the dynamic nature of satellite orbits and the sheer number of satellites in the GEO belt necessitate innovative approaches to optimize observational strategies.
As a response to these challenges, optimising the observation by reducing the number of locations to look in the night sky using analytical methods, offers a systematic approach for cataloguing satellites within the GEO belt. By integrating the principles of the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) with analytical methods and telescope technology, we aim to minimize observation time while maximizing data acquisition efficiency along optimised observational path.
The methodology begins with the analytical representation of the GEO belt within the celestial sphere. The analytical model represents the theoretical daily motion of the objects present in the geosynchronous ring as a function of time.
This analytical GEO region is identified in the night sky which is divided into Equal Area Tregenza sky subdivision. With the filtered Tregenza points corresponding to the GEO belt available, we have an unordered set of grid points which is complex to assign a manual path for telescope movement. Hence, we employ TSP to determine an optimal path for the optical ground telescope to traverse this orbital region, ensuring that the least amount of time is spent on slewing while covering all significant points. This path optimization is crucial for maximizing telescope coverage rate and minimizing the time required for comprehensive observations.
By systematically observing and recording GEO objects along the TSP-optimized path, we can enhance the efficiency of satellite cataloguing while minimizing telescope movement and hence operational time.
Preliminary results indicate that by optimizing the region of GEO in the +/- 15 inclination zone, the number of grid points needed to cover the GEO belt reduces from 295 block grid to 184 block time averaged filtered Tregenza grid indicating a 37.62% reduction in region to be covered for a FOV of 3.53 sq deg. The object coverage trend with field of view of the telescope is further discussed in the paper.
Date of Conference: September 17-20, 2024
Track: Space Domain Awareness