Makoto Tagawa (Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan), Toshifumi Yanagisawa, Haruhisa Matsumoto, Hirohisa Kurosaki, Hiroshi Oda, (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Tokyo, Japan), Yukihito Kitazawa, (IHI Corporation, Tokyo, Japan), Toshiya Hanada, (Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan)
Keywords: Orbital debris, optical observation, stacking method
Abstract:
Space situational awareness is one of the most important actions for safe and sustainable space development and its utilization. Tracking and maintaining debris catalog are the basis of the actions. Current minimum size of objects in the catalog that routinely tracked and updated is approximately 10 cm in the Low Earth Orbit region. This paper proposes collaborative observation of space-based sensors and ground facilities to improve tracking capability in low Earth orbit. This observation geometry based on role-sharing idea. A space-based sensor has advantage in sensitivity and observation opportunity however, it has disadvantages in periodic observation which is essential for catalog maintenance. On the other hand, a ground facility is inferior to space-based sensors in sensitivity however; observation network composed of facilities has an advantage in periodic observation. Whole observation geometry is defined as follows; 1) space-based sensors conduct initial orbit estimation for a target 2) ground facility network tracks the target based on estimated orbit 3) the network observes the target periodically and updates its orbit information. The second phase of whole geometry is based on image stacking method developed by the Japan aerospace exploration agency and this method is verified for objects in geostationary orbit. This method enables to detect object smaller than a nominal size limitation by stacking faint light spot along archived time-series frames. The principle of this method is prediction and searching targets motion on the images. It is almost impossible to apply the method to objects in Low Earth Orbit without proper orbit information because Low Earth Orbit objects have varied orbital characteristics. This paper discusses whether or not initial orbit estimation results given by space-based sensors have enough accuracy to apply image stacking method to Low Earth Orbit objects. Ground-based observation procedure is assumed as being composed of telescopes conduct chasing observation for the estimated apparent trajectory and stack the images based on the relative apparent motion search for true object. Therefore accuracy evaluation for initial orbit estimation result means to verify that apparent motions of true object are able to being searched. The current image stacking method applied for geostationary orbit based on assumptions that apparent motion can be treated as straight lines. Thus the linearity and uniformity assessment of the apparent motion in ground-based tracking observation using initial orbit estimation result is required. This paper introduces the apparent motion prediction result with reasonably assumed orbit estimation errors. The ground observatories are assumed to be located around the polar regions. Then this paper discusses image stacking feasibility for the apparent motion based on space-based orbit estimation result.
Date of Conference: September 10-13, 2013
Track: Faint Object Detection