Early detection of hazardous orbital debris

ESA has installed two radars to test methods of detecting hazardous orbital debris. This early detection of debris is necessary to warn satellite operators of collision risks giving them time to take the necessary avoidance manoeuvres. Radars work by emitting radio energy at a target and then detecting the reflected signal. The first radar was installed in at Santorcaz, Spain, and has been used to develop debris warning services, boosting safety for European satellites. The ‘monostatic’ design of the radar means the transmitter and receiver are located within just a few hundred metres of each other, and energy is emitted in discrete pulses. This technology allows the radar to demonstrate and validate technologies for space debris surveillance in low-altitude orbits. A second radar was set up by ESA and France’s ONERA research centre – Office National d’Études et Recherches Aérospatiales. Making use of ‘bistatic’ technology, the emitter and receiver are set up at different locations and energy is emitted continuously. Together the two designs help to test techniques for observing orbital debris through ‘comparative testing’, significantly increasing European industrial competitiveness and capabilities in the field of debris observations.