Pub Date : 2025-01-23DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.047
Shengtao Liang , Luxiang Xu , Shixu Lu , Liexiao Dong , Mingshan Wu , Jianfei Long
The Taiji Laboratory for Gravitational Wave Universe has developed a micro-thrust measurement system specifically for ground thrust measurement of a micro Hall thruster. The thrust measurement system's core component is the thrust stand, which is designed based on a hanging pendulum topology and has undergone four generations of iterative optimization. This thrust measurement system is capable of measuring the thrust in the range of 0–100 μN with a resolution better than 0.1 μN. This study presents ground thrust measurements for a ground-optimized version of the micro Hall thruster on board the Taiji-1 satellite. The Taiji-1 micro Hall thruster is currently the lowest power level Hall thruster in orbit and has a unique physical design that allows it to operate without an external cathode. The thrust measurement results demonstrate that the ground-optimized thruster can provide continuous thrust modulation in the range of 0.94–104.67 μN, with a resolution superior to 0.2 μN. This research provides technical support for ground testing and iterative optimization of micro-thrusters for the Taiji gravitational wave detection mission.
{"title":"Development of a micro-thrust measurement system and ground thrust measurement of the micro Hall thruster for Taiji mission","authors":"Shengtao Liang , Luxiang Xu , Shixu Lu , Liexiao Dong , Mingshan Wu , Jianfei Long","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.047","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.047","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Taiji Laboratory for Gravitational Wave Universe has developed a micro-thrust measurement system specifically for ground thrust measurement of a micro Hall thruster. The thrust measurement system's core component is the thrust stand, which is designed based on a hanging pendulum topology and has undergone four generations of iterative optimization. This thrust measurement system is capable of measuring the thrust in the range of 0–100 μN with a resolution better than 0.1 μN. This study presents ground thrust measurements for a ground-optimized version of the micro Hall thruster on board the Taiji-1 satellite. The Taiji-1 micro Hall thruster is currently the lowest power level Hall thruster in orbit and has a unique physical design that allows it to operate without an external cathode. The thrust measurement results demonstrate that the ground-optimized thruster can provide continuous thrust modulation in the range of 0.94–104.67 μN, with a resolution superior to 0.2 μN. This research provides technical support for ground testing and iterative optimization of micro-thrusters for the Taiji gravitational wave detection mission.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"229 ","pages":"Pages 591-599"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143173386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.037
Yu Liu, Matthew Thompson, Steven F.T. Apirana, Richard G. Morgan, Christopher M. James
Remote observation is an important way for studying the re-entry environment that a spacecraft experiences. On 5 December 2020 UTC, researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) took part in the flight observation of the Hayabusa2 Sample Return Capsule’s re-entry, conducting independent measurements alongside other research teams. The UQ system, which included a tracking camera and two grating prism spectrometers, was designed to capture atomic transitions of nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen, as well as blackbody radiation, in the visible and near-infrared regions. Spectra were recorded from 17:28:56 to 17:29:16 UTC, with data from 17:28:56 to 17:29:08 UTC successfully processed and calibrated, covering the peak radiative heating point at 17:29:03 UTC. This paper outlines the data processing and calibration techniques, including methods for extracting spectra in low signal-to-noise ratio images and correcting for spectral blurring across spatial dimension. Calibrated spectra are presented, and surface temperatures were derived by fitting the spectra to Planck’s law. UQ’s data, as an important subset of the broader dataset from the joint observation, showed strong agreement with the results from other teams during the overlapping time frames. The fitted temperature profile also aligned with numerical predictions.
{"title":"Emission spectroscopy and surface temperature analysis from Hayabusa2 sample return observation","authors":"Yu Liu, Matthew Thompson, Steven F.T. Apirana, Richard G. Morgan, Christopher M. James","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.037","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.037","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Remote observation is an important way for studying the re-entry environment that a spacecraft experiences. On 5 December 2020 UTC, researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) took part in the flight observation of the Hayabusa2 Sample Return Capsule’s re-entry, conducting independent measurements alongside other research teams. The UQ system, which included a tracking camera and two grating prism spectrometers, was designed to capture atomic transitions of nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen, as well as blackbody radiation, in the visible and near-infrared regions. Spectra were recorded from 17:28:56 to 17:29:16 UTC, with data from 17:28:56 to 17:29:08 UTC successfully processed and calibrated, covering the peak radiative heating point at 17:29:03 UTC. This paper outlines the data processing and calibration techniques, including methods for extracting spectra in low signal-to-noise ratio images and correcting for spectral blurring across spatial dimension. Calibrated spectra are presented, and surface temperatures were derived by fitting the spectra to Planck’s law. UQ’s data, as an important subset of the broader dataset from the joint observation, showed strong agreement with the results from other teams during the overlapping time frames. The fitted temperature profile also aligned with numerical predictions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"229 ","pages":"Pages 498-511"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143035336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
As humanity ventures into space, understanding the effects of microgravity on fundamental cellular, molecular, and physiological processes is essential. Research in this area not only addresses the challenges faced during space exploration but also has the potential to lead to novel discoveries. Microgravity research in the field of biological sciences has gained significant importance as astronauts, cosmonauts, and taikonauts experience various pathological conditions while living under gravity levels vastly different from that on Earth. This review explores insights drawn from space missions and ground-based microgravity simulation models, highlighting changes in iron utilization, storage, transport, recycling, redox signaling, and oxidative stress under microgravity conditions. We aim to elucidate how these alterations may influence the risk of ferroptosis either by exacerbating or mitigating it during space missions. By investigating the effects of microgravity, we gain a deeper understanding of the role of iron and other contributing factors in ferroptotic cell death in space environments. This comprehensive review, therefore, examines the complex interplay between microgravity and iron dynamics, with particular focus on its implication for ferroptosis.
{"title":"Ferroptosis in space: How microgravity alters iron homeostasis","authors":"Nithyasree Sivasubramanian , Kamalesh Dattaram Mumbrekar , Sudharshan Prabhu","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.049","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.049","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As humanity ventures into space, understanding the effects of microgravity on fundamental cellular, molecular, and physiological processes is essential. Research in this area not only addresses the challenges faced during space exploration but also has the potential to lead to novel discoveries. Microgravity research in the field of biological sciences has gained significant importance as astronauts, cosmonauts, and taikonauts experience various pathological conditions while living under gravity levels vastly different from that on Earth. This review explores insights drawn from space missions and ground-based microgravity simulation models, highlighting changes in iron utilization, storage, transport, recycling, redox signaling, and oxidative stress under microgravity conditions. We aim to elucidate how these alterations may influence the risk of ferroptosis either by exacerbating or mitigating it during space missions. By investigating the effects of microgravity, we gain a deeper understanding of the role of iron and other contributing factors in ferroptotic cell death in space environments. This comprehensive review, therefore, examines the complex interplay between microgravity and iron dynamics, with particular focus on its implication for ferroptosis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"229 ","pages":"Pages 512-522"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143035334","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The construction of lunar bases is a critical part of the in-depth implementation of lunar exploration missions, which poses great challenges due to the complex environment of the lunar surface and the high consumption of human resources. It is highly promising to employ multiple autonomous robots as the main body to execute construction-related complex tasks, such as inspection, transportation, building and so on, which requires the collaborative path planning for the robot team to meet the inherent temporal requirements of those tasks. This paper develops a controller synthesis method to plan obstacle-avoidance paths that not only satisfies temporal constraints of construction tasks, but also ensures the long-term autonomy of each robot in the team from the perspective of energy consumption. Firstly, linear temporal logic and model checking tools are used to generate reachability sequences that satisfy the specification regarding to the robot team’s global task. Secondly, this reachability sequence is formulated as a set of quadratic programming problems. By encoding the safety and reachability constraints into the controller through the control barrier function, trajectories that are both safe and satisfying temporal constraints are planned for multiple robots. In addition, our controller synthesis approach can also successfully solve the path planning problem of multiple robots subject to survival constraints. By the dedicated design of the energy-constrained barrier functions, we obtain a control strategy that guarantees long-term autonomy. Finally, in our simulation four robots are employed to accomplish the lunar base construction tasks described through LTL in two different obstacle environments, and the team performs the task for more than half an hour where every fully-charged robot can only work about forty-five seconds. The trajectories in the simulation results verify the feasibility and effectiveness of our proposed methods.
{"title":"A collaborative path planning approach for multiple robots persistently building a lunar base","authors":"Jing Chu , Sixuan Zhang , Qi Yue , Yong Huang , Yongle Du , Xueke Huangfu","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The construction of lunar bases is a critical part of the in-depth implementation of lunar exploration missions, which poses great challenges due to the complex environment of the lunar surface and the high consumption of human resources. It is highly promising to employ multiple autonomous robots as the main body to execute construction-related complex tasks, such as inspection, transportation, building and so on, which requires the collaborative path planning for the robot team to meet the inherent temporal requirements of those tasks. This paper develops a controller synthesis method to plan obstacle-avoidance paths that not only satisfies temporal constraints of construction tasks, but also ensures the long-term autonomy of each robot in the team from the perspective of energy consumption. Firstly, linear temporal logic and model checking tools are used to generate reachability sequences that satisfy the specification regarding to the robot team’s global task. Secondly, this reachability sequence is formulated as a set of quadratic programming problems. By encoding the safety and reachability constraints into the controller through the control barrier function, trajectories that are both safe and satisfying temporal constraints are planned for multiple robots. In addition, our controller synthesis approach can also successfully solve the path planning problem of multiple robots subject to survival constraints. By the dedicated design of the energy-constrained barrier functions, we obtain a control strategy that guarantees long-term autonomy. Finally, in our simulation four robots are employed to accomplish the lunar base construction tasks described through LTL in two different obstacle environments, and the team performs the task for more than half an hour where every fully-charged robot can only work about forty-five seconds. The trajectories in the simulation results verify the feasibility and effectiveness of our proposed methods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"229 ","pages":"Pages 874-884"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143378866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In precise lunar landing missions, several hovering points are often set to detect obstacles or switch between ranging sensors during the vertical descent phase, the terminal landing sequence. This paper proposes analytical solutions for the guidance between hovering points, which are tracked along the desired attitude sequence. Then, a methodology is proposed to optimize the vertical descent trajectory and hovering point selection simultaneously while considering fuel consumption and constraints, such as horizontal/vertical distance and control error. This study demonstrated the proposed method’s effectiveness through Monte-Carlo simulations, which are also described in this paper.
{"title":"Analytical solutions for hover-to-hover lunar landing: Attitude-driven guidance approach","authors":"Takahiro Sasaki , Junji Kikuchi , Kazuki Kariya , Masaru Koga","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.021","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.021","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In precise lunar landing missions, several hovering points are often set to detect obstacles or switch between ranging sensors during the vertical descent phase, the terminal landing sequence. This paper proposes analytical solutions for the guidance between hovering points, which are tracked along the desired attitude sequence. Then, a methodology is proposed to optimize the vertical descent trajectory and hovering point selection simultaneously while considering fuel consumption and constraints, such as horizontal/vertical distance and control error. This study demonstrated the proposed method’s effectiveness through Monte-Carlo simulations, which are also described in this paper.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"229 ","pages":"Pages 471-484"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143174229","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-20DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.045
Pavel A. Radchenko, Andrey V. Radchenko, Stanislav P. Batuev, Aleksandr V. Kanutkin
In this work, within the framework of the Lagrangian approach, the hypervelocity interaction (HVI) of an aluminum particle, representing space debris, with monolithic and spaced barriers made of aluminum alloy of equivalent thickness is numerically studied using the finite element method. The simulation is performed using the proprietary 3D software complex EFES, which ensures mass conservation under the fracture condition. The implemented fracture algorithm allows for the description of material fragmentation and the formation of new contact boundaries without distorting the computational mesh. A comparison with experimental data on crater depth under hypervelocity impact has been conducted. The protective properties of monolithic and spaced barriers were evaluated in the velocity range of 3–15 km/s.
{"title":"Application of the finite element method to evaluate the effectiveness of spacecraft protective screens","authors":"Pavel A. Radchenko, Andrey V. Radchenko, Stanislav P. Batuev, Aleksandr V. Kanutkin","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.045","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.045","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this work, within the framework of the Lagrangian approach, the hypervelocity interaction (HVI) of an aluminum particle, representing space debris, with monolithic and spaced barriers made of aluminum alloy of equivalent thickness is numerically studied using the finite element method. The simulation is performed using the proprietary 3D software complex EFES, which ensures mass conservation under the fracture condition. The implemented fracture algorithm allows for the description of material fragmentation and the formation of new contact boundaries without distorting the computational mesh. A comparison with experimental data on crater depth under hypervelocity impact has been conducted. The protective properties of monolithic and spaced barriers were evaluated in the velocity range of 3–15 km/s.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"229 ","pages":"Pages 466-470"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143174228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-19DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.044
Shuaishuai Li , Xiaolei Liu , Letian Chen , Hong Liu , Yuming Fu , Dawei Hu
The long-term stay on the space station requirement poses a knotty issue about the stable hardware and reliable guarantee of astronauts' health. Despite regular cleaning with wipes, microbes still proliferate in the space station. This study distilled three key factors—low-dose ionizing radiation (LDIR), dilution and quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) from the scenario. Species abundance and differential metabolites were applied to test their sole/combined influences on the three-simple-species microbial community succession. Mechanisms were built in mathematical models to generate the structural and behavior similarity. Results showed that LDIR, dilution and QAC, solely or jointly, could contribute to microbial proliferation. The synergy of disturbances might convert them from harmful factors to rewarding ones (e.g. the transformation of QAC into nutrients under LDIR), leading to this "Ecological Surprise". These results shed light on mechanisms driving microbial community succession in the space station and highlighted the need for tailored biocontrol strategies in the specific environment.
{"title":"Cure or Curse? Simulation indicates that microbes proliferate under disinfection measures in the space station","authors":"Shuaishuai Li , Xiaolei Liu , Letian Chen , Hong Liu , Yuming Fu , Dawei Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.044","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.044","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The long-term stay on the space station requirement poses a knotty issue about the stable hardware and reliable guarantee of astronauts' health. Despite regular cleaning with wipes, microbes still proliferate in the space station. This study distilled three key factors—low-dose ionizing radiation (LDIR), dilution and quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) from the scenario. Species abundance and differential metabolites were applied to test their sole/combined influences on the three-simple-species microbial community succession. Mechanisms were built in mathematical models to generate the structural and behavior similarity. Results showed that LDIR, dilution and QAC, solely or jointly, could contribute to microbial proliferation. The synergy of disturbances might convert them from harmful factors to rewarding ones (e.g. the transformation of QAC into nutrients under LDIR), leading to this \"Ecological Surprise\". These results shed light on mechanisms driving microbial community succession in the space station and highlighted the need for tailored biocontrol strategies in the specific environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"229 ","pages":"Pages 929-943"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143474252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Large constellations of hundreds or thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit are a recent development that is both creating new space-based services and creating challenges for space traffic management especially considering the number of new constellations and corresponding satellites proposed. The large numbers of satellites, orders of magnitude beyond historic norms and the new modes of operations present a range of technical, policy and communications challenges. These challenges are discussed along with proposed and some implemented solutions. Several recommendations are made to improve the safety of large constellations while enabling continued innovation.
{"title":"Space traffic management: Large constellations","authors":"Marlon Sorge , Didier Alary , Florent Lacomba , Helen Tung , Balbir Singh","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.043","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.043","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Large constellations of hundreds or thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit are a recent development that is both creating new space-based services and creating challenges for space traffic management especially considering the number of new constellations and corresponding satellites proposed. The large numbers of satellites, orders of magnitude beyond historic norms and the new modes of operations present a range of technical, policy and communications challenges. These challenges are discussed along with proposed and some implemented solutions. Several recommendations are made to improve the safety of large constellations while enabling continued innovation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"229 ","pages":"Pages 698-704"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143173857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-18DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.042
Marlon Sorge , Toby Harris , Camilla Colombo , Matthew Hejduk , Norman Fitz-Coy , Ryan Sheppard , Emma Kerr , Upasana Dasgupta , Nicolas Berend , Diego Escobar , Martin Michel , Cristina Perez
Collision avoidance, the process of planning and possibly executing a manoeuvre to mitigate the risk of a collision in orbit, is becoming increasingly important as the amount of space traffic increases. This paper discusses different types of conjunction events, the technical processes involved in identifying higher risk conjunctions and possible mitigation techniques, and gaps and limitations in the processes. Possible solutions to these gaps are addressed including improved communication and coordination, more accurate and precise data, and improved education of operators. Several recommendations are made to improve the collision avoidance process and effectiveness.
{"title":"Space traffic management: Improvements to spacecraft collision avoidance (COLA)","authors":"Marlon Sorge , Toby Harris , Camilla Colombo , Matthew Hejduk , Norman Fitz-Coy , Ryan Sheppard , Emma Kerr , Upasana Dasgupta , Nicolas Berend , Diego Escobar , Martin Michel , Cristina Perez","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.042","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.042","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Collision avoidance, the process of planning and possibly executing a manoeuvre to mitigate the risk of a collision in orbit, is becoming increasingly important as the amount of space traffic increases. This paper discusses different types of conjunction events, the technical processes involved in identifying higher risk conjunctions and possible mitigation techniques, and gaps and limitations in the processes. Possible solutions to these gaps are addressed including improved communication and coordination, more accurate and precise data, and improved education of operators. Several recommendations are made to improve the collision avoidance process and effectiveness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"229 ","pages":"Pages 600-605"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143173385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Resident Space Objects (RSO) are human-made objects in orbit around Earth and can remain there for an extended period. These objects can include active satellites, rockets, and space stations, as well as debris caused by previous space endeavours. Debris originated as a consequential outcome of activities such as space launches, orbital missions and collision events, pose a formidable threat to currently operational space assets. To reduce the risk of on-orbit collisions, it is imperative that spacecraft operators enhance their situational awareness concerning potential threats posed by RSO. This necessitates comprehensive tracking of the total number of objects in space and the continuous estimation of the probability of accidental collisions. Effective Collision Avoidance (CA) manoeuvres rely on accurate tracking and characterization of RSO. Currently, RSO are monitored and catalogued using ground-based observational systems. However, Space-Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) presents a viable solution for tracking the RSO, providing superior sensor resolution, tracking accuracy, and independence from weather conditions. Accurate and continuous orbit determination of RSO is critical for developing a robust framework that enables accurate prediction of RSO dynamics. This capability is essential for applications such as Interplanetary space exploration, space tourism and Point-To-Point Suborbital Transport (PPST), which are anticipated in the future. The current study proposes a multi-sensor data fusion strategy designed to integrate angular measurements extracted from image sequences obtained by multiple cost-effective Electro-Optical Sensors (EOS) sensors deployed in SBSS missions. The main contribution of this study lies in the development of data fusion frameworks tailored for constrained computational environments, ensuring seamless real-time implementation on intelligent Distributed Satellite Systems (iDSS). This study proposes and rigorously compares three distinct data fusion methodologies—Measurement Fusion-1 (MF-1), Measurement Fusion-2 (MF-2), and Track-to-Track (T2T) fusion—examining their impact on tracking accuracy across varying sensor-to-target geometries. Additionally, the data fusion framework is validated under diverse operational conditions, including Ground-Based Space Surveillance (GBSS), SBSS, and the synergistic integration of GBSS and SBSS. A validation case study is conducted on an iDSS constellation executing a SBSS mission. The results indicate that MF-1 outperforms other algorithms in the SBSS scenario in terms of tracking accuracy. In contrast, T2T fusion demonstrates superior performance in terms of computational time. Notably, the integration of SBSS and GBSS data surpasses the performance of GBSS across all evaluated data fusion methodologies.
{"title":"Space-based debris trajectory estimation using vision sensors and track-based data fusion techniques","authors":"Khaja Faisal Hussain, Nour El-Din Safwat, Kathiravan Thangavel, Roberto Sabatini","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.038","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.038","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Resident Space Objects (RSO) are human-made objects in orbit around Earth and can remain there for an extended period. These objects can include active satellites, rockets, and space stations, as well as debris caused by previous space endeavours. Debris originated as a consequential outcome of activities such as space launches, orbital missions and collision events, pose a formidable threat to currently operational space assets. To reduce the risk of on-orbit collisions, it is imperative that spacecraft operators enhance their situational awareness concerning potential threats posed by RSO. This necessitates comprehensive tracking of the total number of objects in space and the continuous estimation of the probability of accidental collisions. Effective Collision Avoidance (CA) manoeuvres rely on accurate tracking and characterization of RSO. Currently, RSO are monitored and catalogued using ground-based observational systems. However, Space-Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) presents a viable solution for tracking the RSO, providing superior sensor resolution, tracking accuracy, and independence from weather conditions. Accurate and continuous orbit determination of RSO is critical for developing a robust framework that enables accurate prediction of RSO dynamics. This capability is essential for applications such as Interplanetary space exploration, space tourism and Point-To-Point Suborbital Transport (PPST), which are anticipated in the future. The current study proposes a multi-sensor data fusion strategy designed to integrate angular measurements extracted from image sequences obtained by multiple cost-effective Electro-Optical Sensors (EOS) sensors deployed in SBSS missions. The main contribution of this study lies in the development of data fusion frameworks tailored for constrained computational environments, ensuring seamless real-time implementation on intelligent Distributed Satellite Systems (iDSS). This study proposes and rigorously compares three distinct data fusion methodologies—Measurement Fusion-1 (MF-1), Measurement Fusion-2 (MF-2), and Track-to-Track (T2T) fusion—examining their impact on tracking accuracy across varying sensor-to-target geometries. Additionally, the data fusion framework is validated under diverse operational conditions, including Ground-Based Space Surveillance (GBSS), SBSS, and the synergistic integration of GBSS and SBSS. A validation case study is conducted on an iDSS constellation executing a SBSS mission. The results indicate that MF-1 outperforms other algorithms in the SBSS scenario in terms of tracking accuracy. In contrast, T2T fusion demonstrates superior performance in terms of computational time. Notably, the integration of SBSS and GBSS data surpasses the performance of GBSS across all evaluated data fusion methodologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"229 ","pages":"Pages 814-830"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143368336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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