For over three decades, the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) has partnered with the U.S. Department of Defense and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory (MIT/LL) to collect radar data on the orbital debris (OD) environment. These radar measurements are used to statistically measure centimeter (cm) and sub-cm debris in low Earth orbit (LEO) that is used to define the current debris environment, monitor how the environment evolves, and support predictions of the future debris environment. Currently, the principal ground-based radar sensor used by the ODPO is the MIT/LL Haystack Ultrawideband Satellite Imaging Radar (HUSIR). HUSIR provides data on OD down to approximately 5 mm in size at altitudes below 1000 km. This paper will deliver an overview of recent HUSIR measurements of the LEO debris environment for calendar years 2020 to 2022. Process improvements will be highlighted along with results of interest, including the effects of the 15 November 2021 Russian direct ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) test on the defunct Cosmos 1408 spacecraft.


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    Title :

    Radar Measurements of Orbital Debris from the Haystack Ultra-wideband Satellite Imaging Radar (HUSIR): 2020-2021


    Contributors:
    J. A. Arnold (author) / J. Murray (author) / A. Manis (author) / M. Matney (author)

    Publication date :

    2023


    Size :

    10 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English