Station characteristics and CSTAR data measurement of LEO space-debris monitoring at Kunlun Station, Antarctica

doi:10.13679/j.jdyj.20180063

Abstract

Abstract:

An increasing amount of space debris seriously threatens the operation of spacecraft. Analysis based on objects in LEO Orbit and the geographic position of the Kunlun Station showed that LEO objects have a very high pass frequency and long observable time at Kunlun Station. It is therefore possible to observe larger debris and satellites during polar daytime, as the monitoring efficiency at Kunlun Station is significantly greater than otherwise achievable at other, medium- or low-latitude sites. We analyzed CCD (charge-coupled device) images taken by the Chinese Small Telescope ARray (CSTAR). The line features on the images caused by space debris are effectively detected through use of image subtraction and the Hough transform method. By comparing the detected objects with a published catalog, we found that in a continuous observation time of 72 hours a single telescope with a FoV of 20 deg2 and an effective diameter of 100 mm could detect more than 80% of polar-orbit space debris with a surface area greater than 1 m2. These results confirm the high efficiency of space-debris monitoring at Kunlun Station.

Key words: Kunlun Station, space debris, Antarctica astronomy, observatory, optical, telescope

Yang Chenwei, Jiang Peng, Jia Minghao, Zhou Xu, Zhang Shaohua, Zhou Hongyan, Li Gongqiang, Jiang Hai, Cheng Haowen, Liu Jing, Li Zhengyang. Station characteristics and CSTAR data measurement of LEO space-debris monitoring at Kunlun Station, Antarctica[J]. , 2019, 31(2): 128-133.

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