University Mobile Optical Surveillance System For Low-Earth Space Object Orbit Determination

The Architecture and instrumentation of university mobile optical tracking system for Low Earth Orbit Space objects are considered. Experimental physical setup and astronomical image processing pipeline are presented. For unknown space object single pass over the university observation site from 23:01:37.200 to 23:02:50.780 for 09.09.2021 (UTC) received astrometry data from image processing. Two methods for orbit determination of an unknown space object are considered. The first method based on Keplerian motion model and probabilistic estimation of the elevation angle, right ascension, declination, right ascension rate and declination rate. Additionally, the space object position and velocity were calculated by the well- known Gauss method. Two samples are used to evaluate the time interval influence on the space object state vector calculation accuracy in the Gauss method. In the Gauss method the errors in determining radius vector and velocity vector projections are decreased with an increase in the time interval between angular measurements. Using the Mike McCants' database of orbital parameters, the space object (NORAD 26906) was identified.