Strategic Space Monitoring
Surveillance Strategies for LEO Catalogue Generation using Ground-based Optical Sensors
J.T. Barens (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
S. Gehly – Mentor (TU Delft - Astrodynamics & Space Missions)
Bart Kieboom – Mentor (Airbus)
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Abstract
The growing population of objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) presents challenges for space situational awareness and catalogue maintenance. Ground-based optical surveillance strategies for LEO catalogue generation were evaluated, comparing fixed-pattern scanning methods against a two-phase Probabilistic Admissible Region (PAR) approach using SPOOK simulations and Airbus Robotic Telescope validation.
For LEO targets, baseline scanning achieved 0.0116% detection rates and zero redetections, while PAR achieved 23.71% redetection rates across 194 attempts, enabling initial orbit determination. Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) validation revealed regime-dependence. Baseline methods achieved 49-62% MEO redetection versus 0% LEO, while PAR achieved 91.94% MEO versus 23.71% LEO.
Results establish that redetection effectiveness depends on orbital regime. For LEO, where rapid motion prevents fixed-pattern redetections, PAR-based approaches provide redetections for catalogue generation. For MEO, both strategies succeed though PAR maintains superior performance.