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Debris Detection and

Observation Systems

Rüdiger JehnESA/ESOC, Robert-Bosch-Str. 5, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany,

Email: ruediger.jehn@esa.int

International Interdisciplinary Congress on Space Debris, McGill University, Montreal, 7-9 May 2009

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DIEGO

GARCIA

NSSS

CAPE CODLSSC

BEALE

KAENA PT.

FYLINGDALESCLEAR

SCC

THULE

CAVALIER

MAUI &

MSSSALTAIR

SOCORRO

ASCENSION

EGLIN

LSSC = Lincoln Space Surveillance Center

Millstone, Haystack, HAX

MSSS = Maui Space Surveillance System

(former AMOS/MOTIF site)

NSSS = Naval Space Surveillance System

MOSS

Space Surveillance Network (SSN)

Discovery Radar

Tracking Radar

Optical Telescope

MSX / SBV

COBRA DANE

GLOBUS II

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FGAN/TIRA radar (Wachtberg/Germany):

• operated by FGAN (Research Establishment for

Applied Science)

• antenna: 34 m parabolic reflector in a 49 m radome

• tracking radar: L-band (1.333 GHz), 1.5 MW peak

power, 0.45º 3 dB beam-width, 1 ms pulse length,

30 Hz pulse repetition, ~2 cm objects at 1,000 km

• imaging radar: Ku-band (16.7 GHz), 13 kW peak

power, 0.031º 3dB beam-width, 256s pulse length,

55 Hz pulse repetition, ~15 cm range resolution

• Space Debris Applications: tracking support during

risk object re-entries (Skylab, Salyut-7, Mir);

conjunction event verification

• imaging support: S/C emergencies (e.g. Adeos);

verification of S/C integrity (e.g. Salyut-7, Mir)

Debris Detection and Observation Systems

International Interdisciplinary Congress on Space Debris, McGill University, Montreal, 7-9 May 2009

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The ESA Space Debris Telescope (Tenerife/Spain)

Debris Detection and Observation Systems

International Interdisciplinary Congress on Space Debris, McGill University, Montreal, 7-9 May 2009

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The ESA Space Debris Telescope (Tenerife/Spain)

D etections (Jan 2006 - Dec 2006)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

M agnitude

Fre

qu

en

cy

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2

Se

ns

itiv

ity

correlated

uncorrelated

Sensitivity 99

uncorrelated

40 cm

60 cm

15 cm

10 cmcorrelated

Debris Detection and Observation Systems

International Interdisciplinary Congress on Space Debris, McGill University, Montreal, 7-9 May 2009

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Legend:

Green circles – ISON observatory working in the project during few years already.

Blue circles – ISON observatories working first year only.

Yellow circles – ISON observatories where preparatory work are carried out.

Red circles – observatories – foreign partners of the ISON.

Orange circles – observatories – Russian partners of the ISON.

International scientific

optical network

Debris Detection and Observation Systems

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Search and survey subsystem for studying of the bright GEO-objects

consists of 11 telescopes of 22-cm aperture with FOV of 4° and 5.5°

Subsystem for high altitude faint space debris detection and tracking

consist of telescopes of 0.4-2.6 m apertures

Search and survey subsystem for studying of the bright HEO and LEO

objects will consists of 4 telescopes of 12.5-cm aperture with FOV of 15°

and 10 telescopes of 25-cm - with FOV of 3°

8International Interdisciplinary Congress on Space Debris, McGill University, Montreal, 7-9 May 2009

Telescope versus radar

• The use of radar for space debris

detection is most efficient below

5,000km

• Above this altitude, especially for

debris in GEO, optical methods are

used

• In-situ detectors can be flown

everywhere, but cover only the orbit

of the host satellite and are normally

limited in sensitive area

Debris Detection and Observation Systems

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Meteoroid And Space

debris Terrestrial

Environment Reference

Model (MASTER)

International Interdisciplinary Congress on Space Debris, McGill University, Montreal, 7-9 May 2009

Debris Detection and Observation Systems

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SDM predictions: Impact Flux on a Radarsat orbit (1 cm objects)

International Interdisciplinary Congress on Space Debris, McGill University, Montreal, 7-9 May 2009

Debris Detection and Observation Systems

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Routine CRASS

automated

operations

Pc > 1:10000

Dr < 300m

Issue warning

Pc > Pthresh

Compute Pc,max

Analyse passes Contact Radar

operators

Radar available

Process radar tracks

(ODIN)

Manual CRASS

operations

Setup meeting

Alarm SD Office

Conjunction event

meeting

SD Office

S/C Operations

Pc,max > Pthresh

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

Collision Avoidance at ESA

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Collision avoidance

• Daily checks for our remote sensing satellites ERS-2 and ENVISAT

• Predicted flyby of ERS-2 at a Kosmos-3M upper stage (1.4 t) at a distance of 170mon 18 March 2004 at 11:48.

• Collision velocity of 14.8 km/s.

• Avoidance manoeuvre (change in velocity 4 x 6.5 cm/s); new miss-distance > 600 m

Debris Detection and Observation Systems

International Interdisciplinary Congress on Space Debris, McGill University, Montreal, 7-9 May 2009

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Useful web-pages

International Interdisciplinary Congress on Space Debris, McGill University, Montreal, 7-9 May 2009

• Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC):

http://www.iadc-online.org

• Space debris activities at ESA:

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ESOC/SEMU2CW4QWD\_0.html

• Orbital debris research at NASA/JSC: http://www.orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov

• Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies (The Aerospace

Corporation): http://www.aero.org/capabilities/cords/index.html

• Homepage of ISTI, Italy: http://apollo.cnuce.cnr.it/debris.html

• Jonathan's Space Report: http://www.planet4589.org/space/jsr/jsr.html

• Space Track: http://www.space-track.org (Two-Line-Elements)

• ADELTA Legal Space Law: http://www.spacelaw.com.au

Debris Detection and Observation Systems