Understanding the debris population at GEO and the fate of elderly satellites
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Warwick
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
Geostationary satellites carry our TV channels, weather monitoring and communications (and military observations), and are a vital resource as we develop space technologies. Their altitude of 36000km has always suggested that the effects of debris would be small. However, in the last few months 2 geostationary satellites have literally broken apart. Furthermore, as spacecraft at GEO are too distant to de-orbit, towards the end of their operational lifetimes they are ejected out of the GEO into the so-called graveyard orbits. Here they are literally turned off and left to age. What happens to them past this point is conjecture: it is expected that they age and given the hostile space environment this itself could lead to breakup. However we are starting to expect that these spacecraft can be differentially acted upon by the solar wind, hence causing the spacecraft to start spinning. On a short timescale this could also lead to breakup.
This proposal is about identifying the constitution of the debris field at GEO and also studying the effects of radiation field on the state of elderly satellites.
This proposal is about identifying the constitution of the debris field at GEO and also studying the effects of radiation field on the state of elderly satellites.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Don Pollacco (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Blake J
(2021)
DebrisWatch I: A survey of faint geosynchronous debris
in Advances in Space Research
Blake James
(2019)
Optical imaging of faint geosynchronous debris with the Isaac Newton Telescope
in Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference
Chote Paul
(2019)
Precision Optical Light Curves of LEO and GEO Objects
in Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference
Cooke B
(2020)
Two Transiting Hot Jupiters from the WASP Survey: WASP-150b and WASP-176b
in The Astronomical Journal
| Description | This award showed that there were two populations of objects at GEO. Firstly there were large satellites most are catalogued (military one are not of course) and then there was a population of much smaller objects - probably debris from collisions/explosions etc. Little of the debris population was catalogued. What was interesting is that the usual assumption over spherical debris do not hold and that the rapidly varying light curves suggest the population is composed of rapidly rotating/tumbling shards of material almost pencil shaped with the brightness depending on the visible surface area. By slaving a small telescope, typical of commercial operators, to that of a much larger 2.5m telescope and observing simultaneously we found that the commercial products are not very sensitive to this debris population. |
| Exploitation Route | In several ways. Firstly for activities related to debris detection the key results will affect the detection strategy. It still remains to be seen how we can aid spacecraft design. |
| Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine |
| Description | As part of this award we discovered a hidden population of debris at GEO which implies a debris field exists. This population has been hinted at before but the observations associated with this demonstrated it. We also found (not surprisingly) that small debris is generally not round and is rotating or tumbling quickly. The implication of this is that surveys to a specific depth do not necessarily reach specific debris size. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
| Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Education |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |
| Description | Dstl collaboration |
| Organisation | Defence Science & Technology Laboratory (DSTL) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Dstl have recognized the skills we have developed in GEO observation and data reduction through this project and have been keen to develop collaboration in this project and in future projects. Our expertise and analysis is clear and we have developed much software in the course of this project which is attractive to Dstl. In addition our ability to apply and win large telescope time has been paramount. |
| Collaborator Contribution | On my invitation Dstl staff joined our collaboration to make best use of the INT observations we were obtaining. Their main contributions at this time were some aspects that impact the observations that we had less experience of (eg accurate earth shadow calculation). More recently we have begun discussions with Dstl orbital dynamics and modelling staff. Dstl have recently placed a 5-year fellowship at Warwick to fully exploit the collaboration. In addition Dstl are in the process of buying significant telescope time in Australia to repeat the original experiment at a different longitude. |
| Impact | There are some but they are in AMOS currently, next years reporting will have journal references. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Company Name | Warwick SDA Ltd |
| Description | |
| Year Established | 2022 |
| Impact | The company is still to trade ie its dormant |
| Description | PLATO Selection Outreach |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Press release over the selection of PLATO as ESA M3 mission. Picked up by many organisations. Here is one from the telegraph. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/space/10700476/Britain-joins-new-hunt-for-E.T..html |
| Description | Talk to national workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talks to the conference series Astrodynamics Community of Interest (ACI) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | University talk to astronautics society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Talk to university student society |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |