Russell Boyce, University of New South Wales, Dr Melrose Brown, UNSW Canberra, Dr Philippe Lorrain, UNSW Canberra, Mr Christopher Capon, UNSW Canberra, Dr Andrew Lambert, UNSW Canberra, Dr Craig Benson, UNSW Canberra, Dr Sean Tuttle, UNSW Canberra, Dr Douglas Griffin, UNSW Canberra
Keywords: astrodynamics, SSA, DSMC, PIC, ground-based sensors, flight experiment
Abstract:
Near-Earth satellites undergo complex and poorly understood interactions with their environment, leading to large uncertainties in predicting orbits and an associated risk of collision with other satellites and with space debris. The nature, evolution and behaviour of the growing cloud of space debris in that environment is even less well understood. Significant effort and expenditure is currently being made by governments in Australia, UK, USA, Europe and elsewhere in space surveillance and tracking, in order to mitigate the risk. However, a major gap exists with respect to the science of in-orbit behaviour.
Research is underway in Australia to enable the prediction of the orbits of near-Earth space objects with order(s) of magnitude greater fidelity than currently possible. This is being achieved by coupling together the necessary parts of the puzzle – the physics of rarefied space object aerodynamics and the space physics and space weather that affects it – and employing our capabilities in ground-based and in-orbit experiments, ground-based observations and high performance computing to do so.
As part of the effort, UNSW Canberra is investing $10M to develop a sustainable university-led program to develop and fly affordable in-orbit missions for space research. In the coming 6 years, we will fly a minimum of four cubesat missions, some in partnership with DSTO, which will include flight experiments for validating Space Situational Awareness astrodynamics simulation and observation capabilities. The flights are underpinned by ground-based experimental research employing space test chambers, advanced diagnostics, and supercomputer simulations that couple DSMC and Particle-in-Cell methods for modelling space object interactions with the ionosphere.
This paper will describe the research both underway and planned, with particular emphasis on the coupled numerical/experimental/flight approach.
Date of Conference: September 15-18, 2015
Track: Astrodynamics