Bi static optical measurements for reentering objects attitude and obit determination

The constant increase of the amount of space debris is becoming a threat for both ground and space infrastructures. The non-negligible risks of collisions in orbit, involving possible damages for active space systems, and concerns over re-entry of large objects are leading to an increasing international interest in Space Surveillance and Tracking. Through a network of observatories, simultaneous optical measurements from different observers allows the 3D reconstruction of the objects’ positions and so the direct estimation of their altitudes. Altitude is directly linked to atmospheric drag, which in turn affects the change in attitude during re-entry. Reconstruction of attitude through photometric analysis is possible thanks to optimization algorithms using data provided by the observation network. The Sapienza Space Systems and Space Surveillance Laboratory (S5Lab) of Sapienza University of Rome, together with the Institute for Complex Systems (ISC) of the Italian Nation Research Council (CNR), have developed a network of observatories capable of simultaneously tracking a space object. The optical system consists of a telescope connected to a scientific Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (sCMOS) camera, which allows high frame rates, thus increasing the number of obtainable data, improving the accuracy of space debris’ trajectories. The crucial point of this experimental set-up is the integration of two simultaneous bidimensional data, which requires the cameras’ precise synchronization. In this paper, the synchronization tests of the cameras will be described.