Abstract
he Aerospace Research and Development Directorate (ARD) of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has been comprehensively studying the space debris problem, focusing on observation, modeling, protection and mitigation. ARD/JAXA has created a space debris optical observation facility to research and develop observation technologies in the Nyukasa highlands in Nagano prefecture, at an altitude of 1,870 m. The facility has two domes, in which a 35-cm Newtonian optical telescope and a 25-cm Baker Ritchey-Chretien optical telescope arc installed. One of our most important tasks is to develop automatic GEO debris detection software. Ordinarily, a faint object requires a long exposure time to accumulate a weak light signal until a detectable level is reached. However, a short exposure is necessary for GEO debris detection, or star streaks may obscure debris tracks. We have proposed a stacking method that superimposes multiple images to enable the detection of faint GEO debris signals. In this paper, we introduce JAXA’s observatory and some results from the software under development.
