Space surveillance

Space surveillance is the study and monitoring of satellites orbiting the earth. It involves the detection, tracking, cataloging and identification of artificial objects, i.e. active/inactive satellites, spent rocket bodies, or fragmentation debris.

Aims

Space surveillance accomplishes the following:

• Predicting when and where a decaying space object will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere;
• Preventing a returning space object, which to radar looks like a missile, from triggering a false alarm in missile-attack warning sensors;
• Charting the present position of space objects and plot their anticipated orbital paths;
• Detecting new man-made objects in space;
• Producing a running catalogue of man-made space objects;
• Determining which country owns a re-entering space object;
• Informing countries whether or not objects may interfere with satellites and International Space Station orbits;
• Providing data for future anti-satellite weapons systems.

Systems

Systems include the United States Space Surveillance Network which has detectors such as the Air Force Space Surveillance System and the Russian Main Control Centre of Outer Space with facilities such as Okno and Krona.

References