SmallSat Configuration Design To Map Sub-cm Orbital Debris in LEO via Plasma Soliton Detection
NIAC Phase II Grant
Interest in Space Situational Awareness has increase multifold in the last decade. The European Space Agency estimates over 1.2 million debris objects between the sizes of 1 cm to 10 cm and 140 million upto sizes of 1 mm. Recently, the Chinese astronauts were struck in space because of security concerns due to a debris impact to their return vehicle. While Earth based radar systems track objects larger than 10 cm, smaller debris is undetectable while being equally harmful to current and future missions.
A brief history of space debris.
— Orbital Index
Dr. Christine Hartzell’s NIAC Phase II proposal wants to map these sub-cm debris particles via plasma-soliton-detections through small-satellites. Debris traveling at orbital speeds in the space plasma generate precursor solitons, similar to a shockwave traveling in front of a supersonic plane. Using langmuir probes on small 12U satellites, we can detect these solitons and ascertain debris characteristics.
I am working on optimizing the sensor placement on these 12U satellites to maximize the detectable debris orbits using monte-carlo simulations by modeling sensor field-of-view and debris environment.
