Abstract
In this paper, the space debris catalogue in LEO is fulfilled using multipoint of view (MPOV) observations constructed by a spacecraft formation. The dual-point of view (DPOV) observation is employed because it has higher cost-benefit ratio than other MPOV methods, and it required that the target is detectable for multiple optical sensors simultaneously. This condition is matched by designing the orbit of formation and the installation angles of sensors without frequent attitude maneuvers. The design parameters are optimized to maximize the matching degree of observation constraints to improve the coverage performance of the formation, and the equivalent ranging error is taken into account to ensure the orbit determination accuracy. Finally, the system capabilities of different schemes are compared by simulations. For the schemes with the same number of platforms, simulation results show that the initial orbit determination accuracy of the proposed scheme is higher.
Highlights
The number of space debris increases since the beginning of human space activities
The aim of this paper is to propose a new method to catalog the space debris in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) using a formation composed by multiple spacecraft platforms with optical sensors fixed on
The multipoint of view observations is proposed for cataloguing the space debris in specific region of LEO
Summary
The number of space debris increases since the beginning of human space activities. For space debris larger than 10 cm in diameter, the number monitored increased from 9949 in 2006 to 160914 in 2010. MPOV observation requires that the same object is simultaneously detectable for multiple optical sensors It can effectively improve the orbit determination accuracy of targets because the observability of tracking system is enhanced. Frequent attitude maneuvers are required, which are difficult to implement and inefficient because the relative angular velocities between observation platform and the space objects is about 2 deg/s These problems can be avoided in scan mode in which the sensor is fixed on platform, and an object will be imaged when it passes through the sensor’s FOV and is detectable [16]. The aim of this paper is to propose a new method to catalog the space debris in LEO using a formation composed by multiple spacecraft platforms with optical sensors fixed on.
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