ISON dedicated survey instruments development

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ISON dedicated survey instruments development
Russian Academy of Sciences Keldysh Institute of
Applied Mathematics

• Igor Molotov, Vladimir Agapov

64th International Astronautical
Congress Beijing, China, 23 27 September 2013
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International Scientific Optical Network (ISON)

• ISON is an open international non-government
  project developed to be an independent source of
  data about space objects for scientific analysis
  and SSA
• Additional scientific goals asteroids and GRB
  afterglows
• ISON joins 33 observation facilities of various
  affiliation with 70 telescopes in 14 countries
  that produced already about 18 millions
  measurements on 3500 space objects
• Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics of the
  Russian Academy of Sciences (KIAM) maintains 35
  more complete GEO-object database than public TLE
  data and provides conjunction analysis for
  Roscosmos GEO satellites
• ISON uses own standard software for telescope
  control and CCD image processing
• Mainstream of ISON is using of survey telescopes

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Types of ISON survey telescopes18/19.2 cm, 22
cm, 25 cm, 50 cm, 65 cm
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Map of ISON observatories
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Types of ISON survey telescopes
Type Quant Aperture FOV,deg Goal
RST-220/ ORI-22 9 1 22 cm 50 cm 4 (5.5-2) 4.4-1 Full GEO survey
ORI-25 4 25 cm 3.4 GEO survey
VT-52c/ VT-78a 4 18/19.2 cm 2x19.2 7 7x9 extended GEO survey
VT-52c 1 18 cm 7 HEO survey
SNTL650 1 (2) 65 cm 2.2 Local GEO fragm. survey
ORI-50M 1 50 cm 4 Full GEO fragm. survey
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Global GEO survey subsystem 9 of 22 cm, 4 of 25
cm and 1 of 50 cm telescopes with FOV of 3.5-
5.5 degree
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Planning of GEO survey observations a few strips
covering selected declination range
Distribution of the catalogued GEO objects in
right ascension declination plane
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Global GEO survey subsystem

• 12 small survey automated telescopes across the
  globe one 50-cm telescope near Barcelona
• centralized scheduling at KIAM
• each telescope is surveying visible part of GEO
  and provides a few thousands measurements for a
  few hundreds objects per night
• duration of tracks is varying between 15 and 40
  minutes
• these surveys produce measurements for all bright
  GEO-objects supporting the maintenance of KIAM
  database
• many uncatalogued fragments and objects of new
  GEO launches are detecting
• many HEO objects are detecting as background ones

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Extended GEO survey (Khuraltogot, Sanglokh,
Kislovodsk and Nauchniy-1) consist of telescopes
with FOV of 7 degree HEO survey (Nauchniy-1)
targeted surveys of apogee area of Molniya-type
HEO objects that already resulted in discovery of
about 40 previously unknown objects

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Planning of extended GEO survey observations
many strips selects providing more frequent
passes of GEO during night
Distribution of the catalogued GEO objects in
right ascension declination plane
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Extended GEO surveys

• four 18-19.2 cm automated survey telescopes with
  FOV of 7x7 degree
• centralized scheduling at KIAM
• each telescope is surveying visible part of GEO
  and provides up to 15 thousands measurements for
  500 - 700 objects per night
• duration of object tracks is up to a few hours
• these surveys allows to KIAM to determine more
  precise GEO orbits for conjunction analysis, to
  detect maneuvers of active satellites and to help
  maintain the orbits of GEO objects in clusters
• many HEO objects are detecting as background ones

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Surveys of GEO fragments
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Planning of fragments survey observations many
strips selects providing passes of fields with
the highest density of known fragment
trajectories
Distribution of the catalogued GEO fragments in
right ascension declination plane
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Surveys of GEO fragments

• It was started with 50-cm telescope with FOV of
  2.5 degrees (50-mm size CCD-chip). ORI-50 in
  Ussuriysk participated in discovering of about
  200 non-catalogued objects since 2011
• It is continued with 65-cm telescope SANTEL-650
  in Ussuriysk with FOV 0f 2.2 degree (50-mm size
  CCD-chip). Non-catalogued fragments are
  discovered down to 17.5 magnitude with automatic
  processing. Two more 65-cm telescopes are waiting
  of installation.
• It will be developed with 50-cm telescope with
  FOV of 4 degree that will be installed in
  Kislovodsk in beginning of 2014

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Extended GEO surveys. Measurement arc
length.Sanglok VT-78e.
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Growing amount of measurementscollected by ISON,
2003 2012
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ISON Database of HEO, MEO and GEO objects
As of Feb 1, 2013 the ISON database contains
information for more than 3200 HEO, MEO and GEO
objects with orbits updating using ISON optical
measurements 897 of these objects are newly
discovered during 10 years of ISON work 270 HEO
and GEO space debris objects are discovered in
2012 (compare to 168 ones discovered in 2011 and
61 in 2010).
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HEO, MEO and GEO Objects in ISON Database
Objects associated with Molniya-type orbit
launches
Objects associated with GTO launches
Objects originated in GEO
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Distribution of observing GEO objects by period
and inclination
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Discovered fragments
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Conclusion

• Survey instruments allow to maintain catalogue of
  bright GEO objects and to discover many fragments
  and HEO objects
• Number of discoveries of relatively bright GEO
  debris objects (brighter 16-17 magnitude)
  continues to grow (270 new objects in 2012), but
  now ISON lost the same quantity of objects as
  discovered. It is necessary to develop subsystems
  of tracking telescopes for faint fragments and
  HEO objects
• New 19.2 cm and 65 cm survey telescopes displayed
  good performances. ISON will continue its
  production and installation. New 50 cm survey
  telescope is on the way.
• Development of ISON continues and everyone is
  welcome to participate

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Forms of collaboration with ISON

• Joint observation campaigns to exchange the
  obtained results
• Installation of ISON telescopes to share the data
• Modernization of non-operational obsolete
  telescopes
• Production of telescope under scientific grants
  for future joint observations
• Service on provision of orbital data
• Service on conjunction analysis
• Participation at UN supported ISON conferences

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ISON web site www.astronomer.ru