With all those unruly satellites buzzing around above our heads, itÂ’s about time someone stepped in to police all that space traffic. Or, at least provide a more accurate portrait of a satelliteÂ’s trajectory.
Researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have developed a system of “space cops” – mini-satellites designed to track and refine a satellite’s path – that are better equipped to monitor low-orbit satellites and prevent collisions. The program, called the Space-Based Telescopes for Actionable Refinement of Ephemeris, or STARE, can predict a satellite’s trajectory to within less than 50 meters, according to initial tests.
"Eventually our satellite will be orbiting and making the same sort of observations to help prevent satellite-on-satellite and satellite-on-debris collisions in space," Lance Simms, lead author of a paper appearing in an upcoming edition of the Journal of Small Satellites, said in a statement.
According to United States Space Surveillance Network, there are about 3,000 satellites currently operating in EarthÂ’s orbit. Additionally, there are approximately 5,000 other man-made objects over 10 centimeters in diameter circling our planet.
That’s not to mention the millions upon millions of pieces of “space junk,” ranging in size from 10 centimeters to less than 1 centimeter, also whizzing around our planet, most of it traveling at speeds of up to 18,000 mph. In sum: There’s a lot of stuff up there moving really, really fast.
Researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have developed a system of “space cops” – mini-satellites designed to track and refine a satellite’s path – that are better equipped to monitor low-orbit satellites and prevent collisions. The program, called the Space-Based Telescopes for Actionable Refinement of Ephemeris, or STARE, can predict a satellite’s trajectory to within less than 50 meters, according to initial tests.
"Eventually our satellite will be orbiting and making the same sort of observations to help prevent satellite-on-satellite and satellite-on-debris collisions in space," Lance Simms, lead author of a paper appearing in an upcoming edition of the Journal of Small Satellites, said in a statement.
According to United States Space Surveillance Network, there are about 3,000 satellites currently operating in EarthÂ’s orbit. Additionally, there are approximately 5,000 other man-made objects over 10 centimeters in diameter circling our planet.
That’s not to mention the millions upon millions of pieces of “space junk,” ranging in size from 10 centimeters to less than 1 centimeter, also whizzing around our planet, most of it traveling at speeds of up to 18,000 mph. In sum: There’s a lot of stuff up there moving really, really fast.