Space Surveillance Telescope (SST)
Abstract
The Space Surveillance Telescope (SST) program will develop and demonstrate an advanced ground-based optical system to enable detection and tracking of faint objects in space, while providing rapid, wide-area search capability. A major goal of the SST program is to develop the technology for large curved focal surface array sensors to enable an innovative telescope design combining high detection sensitivity, short focal length, wide field of view, and rapid step-and-settle to provide orders of magnitude improvements in space surveillance. This capability will enable ground-based detection of un-cued objects in deep space for purposes such as asteroid detection and space defense missions. The program is also investigating expanding the demonstration of the telescope to explore detection and tracking of broader classes of space objects under different orbital regimes, and the impact of observations from different environments. The Air Force Space Command is the intended transition partner. In addition, the program is investigating data fusion and advanced algorithms for correlation of unknown objects. SST is expected to generate a large number of uncorrelated targets (UCTs), and new methods will need to be employed to rapidly characterize and attribute the new objects. Furthermore, the data fusion effort is investigating methods which combine observations from disparate sensors (such as optical and radar installations) to more rapidly, accurately, and completely provide knowledge about UCTs. Specifically, the data fusion effort is investigating methods to quickly provide positive identification of orbital objects, rapidly characterize them and maintain a catalog of determined characteristics, and dynamically schedule available sensors to provide the most valuable and timely observations possible. Where appropriate, SST will investigate new concepts which would provide complementary or further advances in ground-based deep space object detection and characterization. The SST Australia effort will provide a further operational demonstration of the SST at an Australian site. Such a location presents a more operationally relevant demonstration, with a richer and more interesting population of SSA targets in geosynchronous orbit. A demonstration in Australia would investigate telescope performance and observe objects and orbits not visible from the current site in New Mexico. In addition, the demonstration would generate data for analysis and fusion efforts, which will be used to further refine and evaluate data processing techniques, such as those developed under the Ibex effort. This program will address technical challenges which may arise from an Australian site, including adaptations to a different telescope environment, and the logistical and communications challenges presented by a site significantly more remote than the current SST location.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2014
- Source ID
- 71c35a88edb517572418c7d23e5afd88