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Research Article

LEO space situational awareness optimization with multiple sensor systems
Seo-Eun Lee1*
,
Yong-Ik Byun1
,
Daewon Kim2
,
Hoyoung Hwang3
1Department of Astronomy, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, South Korea
2Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Daejeon 34129, South Korea
3YSPACE, Co. Ltd. Daejeon 34013 South Korea
*Corresponding Author
30 June 2025. pp. 65-75
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Abstract

This study examines the effectiveness of SSA observations for the LEO region, where collision risk is high and the need for orbit change detection is critical. We first consider the expected performance of a single high-power space radar currently planned for South Korea, then evaluate how to improve its performance by adding data from a complementary global network of sensors. Virtual satellites were placed at altitudes of 250, 550, and 1200 km, and their detections were simulated numerically for the primary 2D radar in South Korea as well as for radar/optical sensors at various international locations. For the global network, we considered a network of four 1D radars and a dense network of thirteen Ultra-Wide Field of View (UWFoV) optical sensors. Both average daily detection rates and revisit time statistics were estimated; the latter is especially useful for determining how often orbit updates can be made for each virtual satellite. For a single 2D radar placed in South Korea, the average revisit time is extremely large: 18 hours for the 250 km group, with some observed only once per week. For the 550 and 1200 km samples, revisit times exceed 9 and 7 hours, respectively. This situation improves significantly with the aid of a complementary global network, which reduces the revisit time to 3.7, 1.5 and 0.8 hours for the 250, 550, and 1200 km groups respectively. For the latter two altitude groups, this means that satellites can be examined for maneuvers or sudden orbit changes almost every orbit. The revisit statistics of a single 2D radar are particularly poor for polar satellites, but this can also be resolved by adding data from the global network. The optical UWFoV sensor network demonstrates superior performance; the inherent limitations of nighttime operation and satellite visibility are not significant obstacles when the sensor network is sufficiently dense. Optical sensors cannot operate in cloudy conditions, and nearly half of the optical data is lost when we incorporate weather effects. The SSA effectiveness, however, still remains high. We conclude that the establishment of a complementary global optical UWFoV network will be an important asset for the upcoming 2D space radar in South Korea.

Keywords
Space situational awareness
Radar system
Ultra-wide field of view (FOV) optical sensor
Revisit times
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Information
  • Publisher :Korean Academy of Space Security
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국우주안보학회
  • Journal Title :JOURNAL OF SPACE SECURITY
  • Journal Title(Ko) :한국우주안보학회지
  • Volume : 2
  • No :1
  • Pages :65-75
  • Received Date : 2025-04-16
  • Revised Date : 2025-05-02
  • Accepted Date : 2025-06-09
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.23386/joss.2025.2.1.006
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