Satellite Star Tracker Breadboard with Space Debris Detection Capability for LEO

Abstract

This paper evaluates the possibility of having a star tracker device running space debris algorithms. A simple star tracker breadboard was developed to evaluate the possibility of having a device running both stellar identification and space debris algorithms. The breadboard was built with commercial off-the-shelf components, representing the current star tracker resolution and field of view. A star tracker device and space debris algorithms were implemented and tested, respectively: Tetra and ASTRiDE. The device concept was tested by taking pictures of the night sky with satellite streaks. Seeking to overcome such limitations, a dual-purpose star tracker with stars detection and optical debris detection capability is proposed. Star trackers are usually used in satellites for attitude determination and therefore have a vast potential to be a major tool for space debris detection. The rapid increase of space debris poses a risk to space activities, so it is vital to detect it. Ground-based radar and optical telescope techniques used for debris detection are limited by a size threshold, detecting only a tiny amount of the total, reason why evaluating the possibility of detecting them in space is of major importance.