Sapienza Space debris Observatory Network (SSON): A high coverage infrastructure for space debris monitoring

Abstract

Optical observations represent a passive method for space debris tracking and monitoring. Although being constrained to limited time intervals, e.g. when the target is in sunlight and the observatory is in darkness, a debris observatory network distributed over multiple locations can improve the observational interval and favor the data integration for more consistent and significant results. The Sapienza Space Systems and Space Surveillance Laboratory (S5Lab) At Sapienza University of Rome has established Sapienza Space debris Observatory Network (SSON), an international network of optical observatories addressed at debris surveillance. The network is composed of six observatories owned and controlled by Sapienza, plus five observational sites controlled by collaborators (mainly University of Michigan and the University of Bern). The network operations have been carried out during several observations campaign, including the Tiangong-1 space station re-entry campaign performed in support of the Inter-Agency space Debris Committee (IADC). The heterogeneous capabilities of the different observatories represent an advantage for acquiring a wider set of debris monitoring data with different techniques. A strong synergy between our institution and the Italian specialized industry has also revealed to be very productive in the context of the network establishment.The present paper will describe the SSON infrastructure and the opportunities, improvements and future perspectives for research institutions or space industry of this wide observatories network will be discussed.