Space debris observation performance research of CSTAR at Kunlun Station in Antarctica

Abstract

Increasing space debris has seriously threatened the safety of spacecraft of various countries. The polar regions are the most densely distributed regions of Low-Earth orbit (LEO) space debris, and are ideal sites for observing LEO space debris. Through the real observation data and detection capabilities simulation, the advantages of China's Kunlun Station in Antarctica in observing LEO space debris are analyzed. Firstly, the real observation data of Chinese Small Telescope Array (CSTAR) are analyzed and compared with the space objects cataloging database (mean www.space-track.org), which confirms the high performance and superiority of Kunlun Station in LEO space debris observation. Secondly, the space debris observation performance of CSTAR is simulated and compared with its historical observation data in the same period, to confirm the reliability of the simulation model. Finally, based on the real observation data and simulation results, some hypothesis simulations and prospects for future space debris observation facilities at Kunlun Station are made. The simulation results can provide support for future observations at Kunlun Station in Antarctica.