Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit Surveillance using Cislunar Periodic Orbits
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
9-16-2022
Abstract
Copyright © 2022 Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference (AMOS)
The "Link to Full Text" on this page opens or saves the full conference paper (PDF), hosted at the AMOS Conference website. Cislunar space is anticipated to become increasingly congested in the coming decades with both nations and private companies building up infrastructure to support missions to the Moon and Mars. With this anticipated increase in space traffic, it is paramount to conduct space surveillance, commonly referred to as Space Situational/Domain Awareness (SSA/SDA), missions in such a way as to encapsulate the entirety of the Earth-Moon system. Performing SSA/SDA utilizing classical ground- and/or near Earth space-based sensors becomes increasingly challenging when applied to the cislunar orbit regime. Therefore, orbits which reside in cislunar space such as cislunar periodic orbits (CPOs) provide an elegant means to fill the observational capability gaps which exist in current near-Earth sensors. This work seeks to compare the effectiveness between a touring class of CPOs, herein referred to as “touring” CPOs and L1/L2 halo orbits in a sample surveillance mission. Specifically, these orbits will be evaluated on their ability to detect and track satellites in a Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) trajectory, such as one intended for NASA’s Lunar Gateway that aims to support colonization efforts on the lunar surface for future ventures to Mars. Visual magnitude is used in determining if a target satellite is visible. Notional space-to-space sensors will be used to determine limitations of orbit geometry for the SDA mission as a function of sensor range, capability, and Sun/Earth/Moon exclusion angles. Simulations will consist of 12 sensor satellites in either a touring CPO or an L1/L2 halo orbit, depending on the scenario. These sensor satellites will be monitoring two target satellites in the NRHO. Results show the halo orbits to be more effective than the touring CPOs at NRHO surveillance, with the L1 halo orbit hosting a visual of the Target for an average of 99.28% of the 30 day simulation. This is a result of the conclusion that closeness to the target of interest is one of the most influential factors for successful space surveillance missions. .
Source Publication
2022 Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference (AMOS)
Recommended Citation
Wilmer, A. P., & Bettinger, R. A. (2022, September). Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit Surveillance using Cislunar Periodic Orbits. 2022 Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference (AMOS). 2022 Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference (AMOS), Maui, HI.
Comments
Copyright © 2022 Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference (AMOS)
The "Link to Full Text" on this page opens or saves the full conference paper (PDF), hosted at the AMOS Conference website.