Tomasz Zubowicz, Polish Space Agency; Mikolaj Kruzynski, Polish Space Agency; Zygmunt Aniol, Polish Space Agency; Krzysztof Arminski, Polish Space Agency; Mikolaj Karawacki, Polish Space Agency; Krzysztof Szyszka, Polish Space Agency; Tymoteusz Trocki, Polish Space Agency; Judyta Wojtala, Polish Space Agency; Pawel Zmudzki, Polish Space Agency
Keywords: optical triangulation, LEO, sensors network
Abstract:
This paper demonstrates the capabilities of the Optical Fence (OF) sub-network developed by the Polish Space Agency (POLSA). The OF includes three locations, Australia, South Africa, Europe, consisting of a total of twelve stations which can create 9 different configurations. The OF sensors configurations component operate in tandem or as an individual instruments. The former, tandem operation is the OF primary function enabling the sensor mesh to provide ranging information of low-orbit space objects. This is achieve algorithmically based on triangulation techniques applied. The sensors consist of small-aperture cameras on static mounts capable of observe even the fastest satellite objects. This concept of design enables low-cost optical range soft measurement. The study provides insight on sensor architecture, performance and observation efficiency using well-defined metrics. These include, e.g., the number of (unique) objects observed and tracks generated, (average) observation arc length, revisit time, and accuracy interpreted in terms of root mean square (RMS) error. The observational data required for these analyses were collected during several observation campaigns in LEO. Also, selected case studies complement the results.
Date of Conference: September 16-19, 2025
Track: SDA Systems & Instrumentation