Space-Based Optical Observations on Space Debris via Multipoint of View

Abstract

In this paper, the space debris catalogue in LEO is fulfilled using multipoint of view (MPOV) observations constructed by a spacecraft formation. The dual-point of view (DPOV) observation is employed because it has higher cost-benefit ratio than other MPOV methods, and it required that the target is detectable for multiple optical sensors simultaneously. This condition is matched by designing the orbit of formation and the installation angles of sensors without frequent attitude maneuvers. The design parameters are optimized to maximize the matching degree of observation constraints to improve the coverage performance of the formation, and the equivalent ranging error is taken into account to ensure the orbit determination accuracy. Finally, the system capabilities of different schemes are compared by simulations. For the schemes with the same number of platforms, simulation results show that the initial orbit determination accuracy of the proposed scheme is higher.