Simultaneous Optical and Laser Space Objects Tracking

The goal of the presented experiments is the development of new optical tracking techniques for space objects, namely space debris, based on simultaneous CCD and laser measurements: the CCD tracking of a laser illuminated object, the simultaneous CCD tracking and laser ranging and the laser time-tagging of the CCD tracking. The first two experiments can be performed on cooperative corner retro-reflectors equipped satellites while the third one is applicable to any space object and to space debris in particular. The high accuracy and density of laser ranging data and additional Time-tags in the CCD image, atmospherically back scattered photons, can contribute to the solution stability of computed orbits from data based even on a single tracking location within a single pass.