EMCCD for future SDA applications

Meteorites and space debris represent a growing threat; their relative speeds make even the tiniest, a potential hazard. Whilst optical and radar instruments allow good coverage of larger debris (> 10cm) population, smaller ones evade most detection attempts. The imaging challenge of probing the population of small size debris is significant as their lower brightness & high speed renders them difficult to see over the zodiacal background. Although the optical tracking of known debris is possible, the detection of uncharted debris implies a staring imager looking for moving objects. An imager capable of short exposures best accomplishes this task, as it prevents the faint object's signal from being drowned by the background signal. Short exposures further imply that the level of detected signal will be very low; the electron multiplying charge coupled device (EMCCD) technology, with its photon counting capability, coupled to motion-compensation algorithms, can truly boost detection capabilities. This paper will describe the advantages of a ground and space-based EMCCD usage to detect and monitor those high-velocity objects.