Projected benefits and opportunities for increased Southern hemisphere contribution to space situational awareness
Abstract
Investigation of the orbital device and debris tracking capabilities of various regions inevitably concludes there is an imbalance among the geographic spread of tracking stations and devices such as the Space Surveillance Network (SSN). Commonly cited are the number of dedicated or contributing sites in the Northern hemisphere, resulting in a measurable bias in the combined field of regard and opportunities for correlation and confirmation of detections in the North. Recent developments such as the deployment of manoeuvrable tracking telescopes and the incorporation of the Harold E. Holt station (HEH) into the SSN was proposed to close this gap, but further tracking capabilities have been called and planned for in the South. This geographical imbalance can be quantified through interrogation of TLE history. Breaking down catalogue objects by those with a Southern perigee demonstrates a significant increase in re-acquisition error and delay, further increasing with orbital eccentricity. Objects whose orbit path falls within view of the limited Southern observation points, such as HEH and any SSN tracking telescopes, were partitioned to better isolate and measure the contribution of these sources and the difference in epochs among objects--especially Southern perigee objects--that pass within their view. We then explore what this suggests of the remainder: breaking down the inconsistently acquired, high eccentricity and Southern perigee objects that are most likely to benefit from additional tracking capabilities in the South. Projections are made of the potential gains to come from the use of Australian infrastructure for tracking purposes, through consideration of the proportion, properties and importance of orbital devices and debris that pass within the field of regard of key sites including the ATCA and Parkes. General latitudes are also identified across the continent where new systems could be deployed for greatest effect on the current catalogue. This study demonstrates that the effects of Northern hemisphere bias in tracking capabilities is both considerable and also not limited to objects with Southern-favouring orbits. We conclude the potential value to be gained from further development of tracking infrastructure in the South, and particularly Australia, is great.
- Publication:
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43rd COSPAR Scientific Assembly. Held 28 January - 4 February
- Pub Date:
- January 2021
- Bibcode:
- 2021cosp...43E2213B