Russian Academy of Sciences
Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics
ISON dedicated survey
instruments development
Igor Molotov, Vladimir Agapov
64th International Astronautical Congress
Beijing, China, 23 – 27 September 2013
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
Types of ISON survey telescopes:
18/19.2 cm, 22 cm, 25 cm, 50 cm, 65 cm
Map of ISON observatories
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) Full GEO
survey
4.4-1
ORI-25
4
25 cm
3.4
GEO survey
VT-52c/
VT-78a
4
18/19.2 cm 7
2x19.2
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
4
Full GEO
fragm. survey
50 cm
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
Planning of GEO survey observations: a few strips
covering selected declination range
Distribution of the catalogued GEO objects in right
ascension – declination plane
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
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
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
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
Surveys of GEO fragments
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
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 SANTEL650 in Ussuriysk with FOV 0f 2.2 degree (50mm 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
Extended GEO surveys. Measurement arc length.
Sanglok VT-78e.
Growing amount of measurements
collected by ISON, 2003 – 2012
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).
HEO, MEO and GEO Objects
in ISON Database
Objects associated with
Molniya-type orbit launches
Objects associated
with GTO launches
Objects originated in GEO
Distribution of observing GEO objects
by period and inclination
Discovered fragments
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
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
ISON web site:
www.astronomer.ru