Laser-based ranging and tracking of space debris

Abstract

Space debris imposes reasonable risk on present space missions, as these objects hold relative velocities on the order of 10 km/s. Due to their high kinetic energies, objects up from 1 cm size have to be monitored in order to prevent collisions with satellites. Since the number of objects within this risk category is reasonable high, an ac-curate and effective monitoring system is necessary. Here, we present a concept for a laser-based space debris monitoring system. The chosen approach combines passive optics (to detect non-catalogued objects) and laser-based active optics (to fine-track and range the debris objects). The involved physical processes affecting such approach such as optical turbulence, absorption, and scattering are modelled and the results will define the de-sign of a future system. In addition, short range on-ground tracking and ranging will be conducted. The aim is to simulate the strong signal attenuation by downscaling of photon densities in order to prove system feasibility.