Scientists from St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University "LETI" have developed a universal system capable of predicting the amount of small space debris in various points of near-Earth orbit. This development, according to Pavel Baranov, Deputy Head of the Department of Television and Video Technology at LETI, will improve the operation of monitoring satellites and control the effectiveness of their use.
The main achievement lies in the high accuracy of predictions — with an error of no more than 10%. This was made possible by integrating complex statistical and spatial models of space debris, algorithms for forming and processing images, and taking into account the parameters of movement of both the debris objects themselves and satellites into a single computing platform.
According to Baranov, existing tracking systems focus on large fragments larger than 10 cm, for which coordinates, speed, and future position are effectively determined. However, there are no methods for analyzing small particles, as well as tools for assessing the quality of their monitoring in practice.
The new mathematical model, supplemented by a method for assessing the effectiveness of monitoring, allows not only to conduct a comparative analysis of various configurations of computer vision systems, but also to test one system in various conditions. As Ruslan Siryi, Senior Lecturer of the Department, clarified, this makes it possible to determine the most effective solutions when designing new observation systems. The result will be a reduction in time and financial costs for development.
Tests of the mathematical model have already been carried out as part of a number of space missions, which confirmed its practical value. The next stage will be the creation of a hardware complex for installation on popular CubeSat satellites. In combination with the developed mathematical system, this will increase the accuracy of detecting small debris.
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