The situation in the geostationary ring

For more than 25 years, the practice of reorbiting of a geostationary satellite at the end of its mission in order to protect the geostationary orbit (GEO) environment has been recommended and performed by a number of operators. In recent years, an internationally recognised re-orbiting altitude has been defined by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC). Based on orbital data contained in the DISCOS database, the situation on the geostationary ring is analysed. In January 2004, from 1036 catalogued objects passing through the geostationary region, 340 are controlled within their allocated longitude slots, 395 are drifting above, below or through GEO, and 140 are in a libration orbit. In the periods 1997–2003, 103 spacecraft reached their end of life; 34 were reorbited in compliance with the IADC recommendation, 35 were reorbited below the minimum recommended altitude, and 34 were abandoned without any end-of-life disposal manoeuvre. Apart from these catalogued objects, the ESA 1-m telescope has observed many smaller debris (down to 10–15 cm) in this orbital region representing a collision risk for GEO spacecraft which is difficult to quantify.     

Performance estimation for GEO space surveillance

For space surveillance Europe is currently strongly depending on external sources. Although some European radar and optical facilities for space object tracking exist, there is no operational European space surveillance system. An ESA-funded feasibility study for a future independent European space surveillance capability was performed recently. Some of the main conclusions are presented here. We discuss the surveillance of the geostationary ring (GEO) by evaluating existing and newly designed optical ground-based sensors in terms of their performance. The main performance-related issues – the coverage of the GEO ring and the minimum detectable objects size – are discussed. In order to perform detailed simulations, an observation strategy was defined and algorithms for the correlation of objects with a catalogue and for the maintenance of that catalogue were developed. We used the ESA PROOF software to estimate the sensor performance and AIUB tools to simulate the catalogue correlation. The performance was validated using data from campaigns performed with the ESA Space Debris Telescope at Tenerife, Spain.     

Orbit improvement for GTO objects using follow-up observations

The Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern was and is conducting several search campaigns for space debris in the geostationary ring (GEO) and the geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). First tests to build up a catalogue of satellites and space debris were performed recently. As the discovery observations of an object usually cover a time interval of a few minutes only, the first orbits determined are assumed to be circular. For GEO objects a circular orbit is a rather good approximation. This is certainly not the case for GTO objects. Nevertheless, a circular orbit seems to be an acceptable approximation for a short time interval around the observations. The first orbits can be used to acquire follow-up observations, which allow the determination of elliptical orbits. The maximum allowed time span between the detection and the follow-up for a successful recovery is found using simulated GTO orbits and observations. Further follow-up observations are simulated in order to study the orbit improvement process and the required force model. The accuracy of orbits needed to build up a catalogue is studied. The simulations are compared to the results achieved with observations acquired by the 1 m telescope on Tenerife.     

星载GNSS确定GEO卫星轨道的积分滤波方法

采用星载全球导航卫星系统（GNSS）确定地球静止轨道（GEO）,以解决目前应用星载全球定位系统(GPS)时导航卫星可见性差的问题。以风云卫星为例,分析了未来的GNSS相对于GEO卫星的可见性,针对GEO轨道上导航接收机采样间隔较长的问题,综合轨道积分和卡尔曼滤波方法的优点,提出了确定GEO卫星轨道的积分滤波方法。并利用STK软件仿真产生所需数据,用MATLAB对提出的算法编程并进行仿真验证,结果表明,提出的方法性能优越,定轨精度较高。     

Feasibility study of LEO,GEO and Molniya orbit based satellite solar power station for some identified sites in India

The analysis of satellite solar power station (SSPS) is carried out for some specified locations (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru) in India and consequently the performance of the system is evaluated for geostationary earth orbit (GEO) based SSPS, low earth orbit (LEO) based SSPS and Molniya (quasi geostationary) orbit based SSPS for sites located at different latitudes. The analysis of power; received energy over a year and weight of the rectenna array for the same beam intensity showed varied results for Molniya orbit based SSPS, LEO based SSPS and GEO based SSPS. The power delivered by the LEO SSPS was highest which indicated that this SSPS may be efficient for the short term power requirement. However, it is observed from the results of the energy received over a year that the GEO based system is suitable for base load power plant as it is capable of delivering constant energy through out a year. Further, the weight of the rectenna and hence the space required for ground station for same power output is smallest for Molniya orbit based system for a range of rectenna array radius considered. It is thus envisaged that the Molniya orbit based system would be a better choice for commercial use of SSPS. These findings may help for judicious selection of satellite orbit and ground station location for placing the satellite for SSPS for various applications.     

利用摆动地球敏感器两个探测器输出的姿态确定

摆动地球敏感器是地球同步通信卫星控制系统的重要部件。这种敏感器主要用于卫星的姿态测量,测量量作为控制系统的输入信号计算控制输出量。摆动地球敏感器有4个探测器,目前在轨卫星的基本使用方法均为至少使用3个探测器的测量信息进行姿态确定。本文给出了使用2个探测器测量确定卫星姿态的计算方法,并结合实际情况给出了使用策略。这种姿态确定方法大大拓宽了地球敏感器的使用范围,增加了地球敏感器的冗余性,延长了部件的使用寿命。     

部署retro-GEO巡视器的月球借力飞行轨道分析

retro-GEO是指逆行（retrograde）地球静止轨道（geostationary Earth orbit, GEO）,该轨道与GEO轨道高度相同或相近,但倾角为180°,安装在retro-GEO卫星上的巡视器可每12h对GEO带空间资产附近碎片环境安全预警。直接西向发射retro-GEO卫星存在地面测控和发射能耗较大的困难。基于平面四体模型,为降低设计变量敏感性,以近月点参数为设计变量,建立了部署retro-GEO巡视器的月球借力飞行轨道设计模型,利用轨道动力学模型延拓策略,得到该类轨道绕月后返回地球飞行时长只能约为114.79h,该结论可用于求解该类轨道高精度轨道动力学模型解。     

地球静止轨道卫星电推进位保策略研究

研究了利用电推进系统进行GEO卫星轨道保持问题,给出了一种基于日预报的位置保持策略。首先,根据GEO卫星轨道漂移规律,分析了小推力推进系统每日进行位保的可行性;然后,针对四电推力器配置构型,给出了每日轨道误差、各推力器工作时间与区间的预测方法;进一步,针对给定的定点位置,根据位保效果对电推进安装角进行了优化选择,并研究了推力变化对位保效果和燃料消耗的影响。以东经100°定点为例对所给方法进行了仿真验证,数值结果表明:所给策略可有效用于GEO卫星位置保持。     

一种用于同步静止卫星监测的微型VLBI网

针对地球静止轨道（GEO）卫星全天时全天候高精度的监测需求，考虑传统甚长基线干涉（VLBI）测站高成本、高投入和GEO卫星专用观测时段有限等制约条件，研发了简易型VLBI观测系统，并组建了包括上海、都匀和乌鲁木齐三站的微型VLBI网（micro VLBI network，MVN），开展了并置站测试以及对GEO卫星亚太6C的连续监测，并评估了当前MVN的观测能力。结果表明MVN扣除系统差后的单站接收精度为2ns，各基线观测时延拟后残差约几纳秒，GEO目标实测位置精度为百米级（内外符精度分别约100m和400m）。不同于传统VLBI和其他GEO监测手段，MVN还具备全天时、全天候、低造价、易布设及易推广等特点，充分表明了其在GEO卫星监测领域的应用价值。     

基于机动力模型的GEO卫星恢复期间定轨

北斗卫星导航系统(BDS)中GEO卫星频繁的轨道机动对高精度、实时不间断的导 航服务需求提出了更高要求, 如何在短弧跟踪条件下提高GEO卫星轨道快速 恢复能力, 是提升导航系统服务精度的关键因素. 针对该问题, 本文提出了基 于机动力模型的动力学定轨方法, 尝试利用高精度的C波段转发式测距数据, 辅 以机动期间的遥测遥控信息建立机动力模型, 联合轨控前后的观测数据进行动 力学长弧定轨. 利用BDS中GEO卫星实测数据进行了定轨试验与分析, 结果表明, 恢复期间需要采用解算机动推力的定轨方法, 联合机动前、机动期间和机 动后4h数据定轨的轨道位置精度在20m量级, 径向精度优于2.5m. 该方 法克服了短弧跟踪条件下动力学法定轨和单点定位中的诸多问题, 提供了解决 GEO卫星机动后轨道快速恢复问题的技术方法.      

A universal on-orbit servicing system used in the geostationary orbit

The geostationary orbit (GEO), a unique satellite orbit of the human beings, is a very precious orbit resource. However, the continuous increasing of GEO debris makes the GEO orbit more and more crowded. Moreover, the failures of GEO spacecrafts will result in large economic cost and other bad impacts. In this paper, we proposed a space robotic servicing system, and developed key pose (position and orientation) measurement and control algorithm. Firstly, the necessity of orbit service in GEO was analyzed. Then, a servicing concept for GEO non-cooperative targets was presented and a universal space robotic servicing system was designed. The system has a 2-DOF docking mechanism, a 7-DOF redundant manipulator and a set of stereo vision, in addition to the traditional subsystems of a spacecraft. This system can serve most existing satellites in GEO, not requiring specially designed objects for grappling and measuring on the target. The servicing contents include: (a) visual inspecting; (b) target tracking, approaching and docking; (c) ORUs (Orbital Replacement Units) replacement; (d) Malfunctioned mechanism deploying; (e) satellites life extension by taking over its control, or re-orbiting the abandoned satellites. As an example, the servicing mission of a malfunctioned GEO satellite with three severe mechanical failures was designed and simulated. The results showed the validity and flexibility of the proposed system.     

International scientific optical network for space debris research

A joint team of researchers under the auspices of the Center for Space Debris Information Collection, Processing and Analysis of the Russian Academy of Sciences collaborates with 15 observatories around the world to perform observations of space debris. For this purpose, 14 telescopes were equipped with charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras, Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, CCD frame processing and ephemeris computation software, with the support of the European and Russian grants. Many of the observation campaigns were carried out in collaboration with the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB) team operating at the Zimmerwald observatory and conducting research for the European Space Agency (ESA), using the Tenerife/Teide telescope for searching and tracking of unknown objects in the geostationary region (GEO). More than 130,000 measurements of space objects along a GEO arc of 340.9°, collected and processed at Space Debris Data Base in the Ballistic Center of the Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics (KIAM) in 2005–2006, allowed us to find 288 GEO objects that are absent in the public orbital databases and to determine their orbital elements. Methods of discovering and tracking small space debris fragments at high orbits were developed and tested. About 40 of 150 detected unknown objects of magnitudes 15–20.5 were tracked during many months. A series of dedicated 22-cm telescopes with large field of view for GEO survey tasks is in process of construction. 7 60-cm telescopes will be modernized in 2007.     

共享星位式静止轨道卫星群构形简析

共享星位式静止轨道卫星群（Ｃｏ－ｌｏｃａｔｅｄＧｅｏｓｔａｔｉｏｎａｒｙＳａｔｅｌｉｔｅｓ）共占一个星位以完成对地通信任务。在这种共享星位的方式下每颗卫星间的位置差异很小,整个卫星群在经度和纬度方向上的允许偏差通常小于±０．１°。在这个范围内必须对卫星精确控制。经典的Ｃ－Ｗ方程形式简单,便于分析,但它的结果不能精确地反映卫星的相对运动,因而不宜用来研究共位式静止卫星群的几何构形及其控制。作者给出了一组修正的Ｃ－Ｗ方程以弥补其不足;并且根据卫星群偏心率与倾角综合的分离思想,讨论了两种策略,使得卫星群的构形可通过每个成员的轨道要素简单表出。适当调整每颗卫星的轨道要素可以保持卫星群的构形在空间不变,或者对地（近赤道观测站）不变。     

Instantaneous BeiDou–GPS attitude determination: A performance analysis

The advent of modernized and new global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) has enhanced the availability of satellite based positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) solutions. Specifically, it increases redundancy and yields operational back-up or independence in case of failure or unavailability of one system. Among existing GNSS, the Chinese BeiDou system (BDS) is being developed and will consist of geostationary (GEO) satellites, inclined geosynchronous orbit (IGSO) satellites, and medium-Earth-orbit (MEO) satellites. In this contribution, a BeiDou–GPS robustness analysis is carried out for instantaneous, unaided attitude determination.     

基于空间隔离的低轨卫星系统频谱共享方法

随着业务需求的全球性增长,传统低频波段有限的频谱资源已不能满足低轨（LEO）卫星的业务承载要求,采用Ka频段的LEO星座系统设计成为了主流。然而,采用Ka频段的LEO星座系统不可避免地会对同频段已经存在的静止轨道（GEO）卫星系统产生干扰。首先,通过基于空间隔离的干扰规避方法,采用对LEO与GEO的频谱共用系统设置隔离角来进行上下行场景的干扰消除,使该LEO系统能满足国际电信联盟（ITU）对同频段内通信干扰的约束条件;然后,通过引入GEO带的概念,分析并研究了干扰规避区域的确定方法和其对LEO星座密度的影响。最后,通过仿真得出了干扰隔离角、GEO带与LEO星座密度的关系,得到了在采用隔离角的方式进行干扰避让时满足LEO星座系统业务不中断所需要的最小卫星数量,对LEO星座设计具有一定的指导意义。      

Evolution of the orbital elements for objects with high area-to-mass ratios in geostationary transfer orbits

A new population of uncatalogued objects in geosynchronous Earth orbits (GEO), with a mean motion of about 1 rev/day and eccentricities up to 0.6, has been identified recently. The first observations of this new type of objects were acquired in the framework of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) search for space debris in GEO and the geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) using the ESA 1-m telescope on Tenerife. Earlier studies have postulated that the perturbations due to the solar radiation pressure can lead to such large eccentricities for GEO objects with a high area-to-mass ratio (A/M). The simulations showed that the eccentricities of GEO objects with large A/M exhibit periodic variations with periods of about one year and amplitudes depending on the value of A/M. The findings of these studies could be confirmed by observations from the ESA 1-m telescope on Tenerife.     

Properties of the high area-to-mass ratio space debris population at high altitudes

In the framework of its space debris research activities ESA established an optical survey program to study the space debris environment at high altitudes, in particular in the geostationary ring and in the geostationary transfer orbit region. The Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB) performs these surveys on behalf of ESA using ESA’s 1-m telescope in Tenerife. Regular observations were started in 1999 and are continued during about 120–140 nights per year. Results from these surveys revealed a substantial amount of space debris at high altitudes in the size range from 0.1 to 1 m. Several space debris populations with different dynamical properties were identified in the geostationary ring. During the searches for debris in the geostationary transfer orbit region a new population of objects in unexpected orbits, where no potential progenitors exist, was found. The orbital periods of these objects are clustered around one revolution per day; the eccentricities, however, are scattered between 0 and 0.6. By following-up some of these objects using the ESA telescope and AIUB’s 1-m telescope in Zimmerwald, Switzerland, it was possible to study the properties of this new population. One spectacular finding from monitoring the orbits over time spans of days to months is the fact that these objects must have extreme area-to-mass ratios, which are by several orders of magnitudes higher than for ‘normal-type’ debris. This in turn supports the hypothesis that the new population actually is debris generated in or near the geostationary ring and which is in orbits with periodically varying eccentricity and inclination due to perturbations by solar radiation pressure. In order to further study the nature of these debris, multi-color and temporal photometry (light curves) were acquired with the Zimmerwald telescope. The light curves show strong variations over short time intervals, including signals typical for specular reflections. Some objects exhibit distinct periodic variations with periods ranging from 10 to several 100 s. All this is indicative for objects with complicated shapes and some highly reflective surfaces.     

Collision probability and spacecraft disposition in the geostationary orbit

Since 1963 approximately 300 satellites have been launched into the geostationary orbit, followed possibly by another additional 200 satellites up to the year 2000. Ground surveillance with radar and optical sensors able to detect objects of 1 m minimum size in the geostationary ring indicates a total population of several hundred which includes active and defunct satellites and spent upper stages. In addition, a population of untrackable objects is conjectured, whose size can only be estimated, possibly several thousand of smaller objects.

The purpose of this paper is to review the long-term evolution of orbits in the geostationary ring and at higher altitude, the collision probabilities and disposition options.

The major perturbations are considered including attitude-orbit cross-coupling effects which could cause secular orbit perturbations.

Collision probabilities for current and projected populations are reviewed considering different approaches, such as a deterministic treatment of the uncontrolled population and a stochastic modeling for the controlled satellites. Also, colocation, that is sharing of the same longitude slot by several operational satellites, is a potential source for collision, if no preventive measures are taken.

As regards spacecraft disposition options, the conclusion is that reorbiting is currently the only practical measure to safeguard the geostationary orbit. In this recommended procedure the defunct satellites are inserted into a so-called graveyard orbit, located suffieciently high above the geostationary orbit.     

地球同步轨道带动态监视光学系统样机及试验观测结果

地球同步轨道上目标数量多，运动形式多样.为了保障航天活动的安全，有必要开展地球同步轨道目标的动态监测，及时掌握发生在中国专属地球同步轨道带的空间事件.2015年12月地球同步轨道带动态监视光学系统样机正式安装在中国丽江高美古观测站.2015年12月至2016年2月，利用该样机对台站上空地球同步轨道带的样本天区开展了试验观测.结果表明，样机能够对27颗地球同步轨道目标进行连续监测，其中两颗为北美航空航天司令部未编目的目标；目标天文定位的内符精度在方位上约为4"，在俯仰上约为1".利用多圈次观测结果对轨道进行改进，在无轨控发生时，24h和48h点位预报精度在方位和俯仰上分别优于9"和2".以3颗GEO目标为例，通过实测资料对轨道变化事件进行了初步分析和验证.