A testbed for on-orbit optical tracking simulation of resident space objects

The number of orbiting objects around the Earth, which includes active satellites and space debris, has significantly increased over the years and doesn’t seem to stop any soon. Resident Space Object orbit determination and tracking, whether it is performed from groundbased or space-based observations, is a crucial step for making collision avoidance procedures. In this dissertation, the design and realization of a testbed for simulating space-based observations and resident space object tracking is presented. In particular, the implementation and use of optical devices like star trackers for such task is explored, since they are typically onboard as an attitude determination solution for spacecraft. The aim is to emulate as best as possible a typical low Earth orbit (LEO) scenario in a testbed facility, so to perform validation tests for on-board orbit determination algorithms. This dissertation begins by defining the requirements for such a facility, followed by sensitivity studies to identify design drivers and achievable accuracies. More specifically, a calibration analysis is conducted to assess the acceptable mounting errors that do not significantly degrade the testbed performance. Finally, selected use-cases are implemented within the facility and the accuracy of on-orbit determination is evaluated for these scenarios.