Laser based space debris monitoring: A promising concept for orbit determination

Abstract

After more than 50 years of space activity, the existence of space debris and its potential hazards for space vehicles is commonly known to the public. The increasing density of debris parts and their high velocity of more that 7 km/s imply a strong risk for manned and unmanned spacecrafts. Risk mitigation necessitates the exact knowledge of orbital data, which are used for initiating sidestepping manoeuvres of collision-endangered satellites. State-of-the art detection techniques are based on RADAR and passive detection by solar illumination and successive orbit determination. The accuracy for the determination of exact orbital data can be improved strongly when a pulsed laser system is used for illumination and ranging. In general, the accuracy of orbital data extraction is affected by inevitable instabilities of the coarse tracking platform and by omnipresent atmospheric turbulences. In this presentation, we introduce a concept for laser-based space debris monitoring and discuss its benefits vis-à-vis passive optical detection techniques. The actual position of the debris part is determined from angular and distance information, i. e. time of flight measurement of the laser pulses reflected from the debris sample. A high power, repetitive, pulsed laser system is an indispensable component that needs to be developed for the specific needs of this application.