KEYWORDS: Satellites, Space telescopes, Sensors, Stars, Telescopes, Signal to noise ratio, Detection and tracking algorithms, Satellite imaging, Imaging systems, Global Positioning System
The Space-based Telescopes for Actionable Refinement of Ephemeris (STARE) program will collect the information needed to help satellite operators avoid collisions in space by using a network of nanosatellites to determine more accurate trajectories for selected space objects orbiting the Earth. In the first phase of the STARE program, two pathfinder cube-satellites (CubeSats) equipped with an optical imaging payload are being developed and deployed to demonstrate the main elements of the STARE concept. We first give an overview of the STARE program. The details of the optical imaging payload for the STARE pathfinder CubeSats are then described, followed by a description of the track detection algorithm that will be used on the images it acquires. Finally, simulation results that highlight the effectiveness of the mission are presented.
KEYWORDS: Satellites, Sensors, Stars, Space telescopes, Signal to noise ratio, Image segmentation, Detection and tracking algorithms, Satellite imaging, Telescopes, Space operations
The Space-based Telescopes for Actionable Refinement of Ephemeris (STARE) program will collect the information
needed to help satellite operators avoid collisions in space by using a network of nano-satellites to determine
more accurate trajectories for selected space objects orbiting the Earth. In the first phase of the STARE program,
two pathfinder cube-satellites (CubeSats) equipped with an optical imaging payload are being developed
and deployed to demonstrate the main elements of the STARE concept. In this paper, we first give an overview
of the STARE program. We then describe the details of the optical imaging payload for the STARE pathfinder
CubeSats, including the optical design and the sensor characterization. Finally, we discuss the track detection
algorithm that will be used on the images acquired by the payload.
KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Satellites, Space telescopes, Monte Carlo methods, Computer simulations, Device simulation, Space operations, Systems modeling, Radar, Sensors
Orbital collisions pose a hazard to space operations. Using a high performance computer modeling and simulation
environment for space situational awareness, we explore a new paradigm for improving satellite conjunction analysis by
obtaining more precise orbital information only for those objects that pose a collision risk greater than a defined
threshold to a specific set of satellites during a specified time interval. In particular, we assess the improvement in the
quality of the conjunction analysis that can be achieved using a distributed network of ground-based telescopes.
The high-resolution absolute-intensity spectrum of a Vortek-arc lamp is obtained in order to evaluate the lamp as a candidate for a pump source for crystal-laser amplifiers. Spectra are also obtained at lower resolution for Ar-Kr and Ar-Xe mixtures. These spectra are convolved with the Nd:YAG absorption cross section assuming YAG crystal thickness of 0.5 cm and doping of 2 x 10 to the 20th/cu cm. Emphasis is placed on wavelength and intensity calibrations, assembling the spectral regions, and low-resolution spectra. A spectral overlap with Nd:YAG bands is discussed, as well as pulsed operation, lamp-tube filtering, and electrical efficiency. It is noted that pulsing of the lamp should be possible and may provide further improvements in laser operation.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.