Assessing Observer Stations for Cislunar Space Domain Awareness
Abstract
The need for reliable domain awareness in cislunar space is clear. This investigation quantifies the suitability of several possible stations for observer satellites in cislunar space by calculating the specific irradiance each would observe as they track satellites in various realistic lunar free-return trajectories across a decade, using reflected sunlight. This investigation includes one class of free return trajectories for target satellites, eleven distinct observer stations, and three different metrics for comparing their effectiveness. The analysis showed that observer satellites in most but not all stations would be more effective than in LEO, and certain combinations were significantly more effective.The exact ranking depended on the metric
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1129218
Entities
People
- Michael S. Rosenof
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology