Thomas Peppard (BAE Systems)
Keywords: SSA
Abstract:
The GEODSS Vela Search Team, in conjunction with the Air Force, developed revolutionary new procedures to search for man-made objects in deep space. In the first-ever aggressive, proactive campaign against a series of lost satellites, three GEODSS optical detachments were employed to find Vela communication satellites launched in the 1960s. These satellites, in highly eccentric orbits, had not been tracked in over 40 years. The Team exploited GEODSS telescopes and technology for a mission they were not designed to perform by employing modified optical viewing parameters and new search techniques. Using the sun to provide illumination, while modifying optical parameters, the GEODSS team found 5 lost Vela satellites and enhanced the Air Force Space Command satellite catalog. In addition, the Team developed two new tactics, techniques & procedures to capture very hard-to-track objects. Revisit time was increased from intermittent and yearly tracking to weeks or better to find 3 Velas lost for over four decades. The Joint Space Operations Center (JSPOC) analysts stated that the Vela search and tracking was a great success. Additionally, a GEODSS Tactics Development Team was the first to use a deep space observing telescope to track satellites in near earth orbits and outside of the traditional observing period. The team was able to observe and provide metric track data on the International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope and several other satellites in Near Earth Orbits. Additionally, data was collected before the civil sunset observing period on the Phobos-Grunt re-entry and an Iridium Communications Satellite in Low Earth Orbit. The ability to observe and then successfully repeat the process was an astronomical achievement. The GEODSS team accomplishments pushed the boundaries of the GEODSS system design and proved existing capabilities that had not yet been considered. Lessons learned were established for Vela & other orbit types.
Date of Conference: September 11-14, 2012
Track: Poster