SmallSat Configuration Design To Map Sub-cm Orbital Debris in LEO via Plasma Soliton Detection
Graduate Researcher | NASA NIAC Phase II
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.
