Speaker
Description
This paper presents preliminary results obtained from simultaneous optical observations of the geostationary object Jam E Jam using the Berthelot and SkEYE telescopes located in Romania. The experimental campaign validated the feasibility of dual-station astrometric observations and demonstrated the potential of distributed optical systems for monitoring Resident Space Objects (RSOs) in the context of Space Situational Awareness (SSA).
The analysis identified time-base inconsistency as the dominant source of measurement error. While the Berthelot system underwent repeated calibration campaigns in the last six years and has a known time-bias with no significant drift, no such campaign was performed for SkEYE. The lack of this data is affecting the accuracy of quasi-simultaneous measurements. To mitigate these limitations, calibration procedures based on simultaneous observations of Galileo navigation satellites are currently being implemented in order to improve timing stability and astrometric precision.
This paper presents the observational setup, synchronization challenges, calibration methodology, and preliminary astrometric results. In addition, visibility simulations for two supplementary optical sensors are presented in order to evaluate the potential benefits of a distributed multi-station optical architecture for RSOs observation in MEO, HEO, and GEO regimes.