Ahead-looking: Site visitors in low Earth orbit has surged lately. The rising variety of satellites is now pushing scientists to develop new administration and monitoring options, as GPS and ground-based stations can typically be unreliable or unavailable.
The Los Alamos Nationwide Laboratory has launched the “Spacecraft Speedometer,” a novel expertise for monitoring satellites in low Earth orbit. This compact, resource-efficient gadget can exactly measure a satellite tv for pc’s velocity because it orbits the planet. Researchers consider it may additionally function a monitoring answer for deep-space missions.
Designed to supply onboard, real-time velocity measurements, the Spacecraft Speedometer allows area businesses and business operators to foretell satellite tv for pc positions and execute orbital maneuvers to keep away from collisions with different satellites or area particles.
Los Alamos developed the system in response to growing congestion in LEO, the place the variety of energetic satellites surged from 2,287 in 2019 to over 10,000 in 2024. With the rise of mega-constellations, visitors administration challenges are anticipated to develop much more extreme.
Present strategies for monitoring satellite tv for pc velocity and place depend on GPS or ground-based radars. Whereas GPS works when a satellite tv for pc has a functioning receiver, it may well turn out to be unreliable throughout photo voltaic storms. Floor stations, in the meantime, can solely observe orbiting objects intermittently – typically simply as soon as each few hours or days.
The newly launched Spacecraft Speedometer gives a extra dependable various to each programs, offering steady velocity knowledge even throughout excessive area climate. Researchers additionally counsel it may observe orbital insertions in different planetary atmospheres, monitor native area environments, and measure harmful particle charging ranges.
The gadget achieves these capabilities by way of its twin laminated plasma spectrometers, which measure charged particles (ions and electrons) putting the entrance and rear of a spacecraft. Los Alamos researchers evaluate this course of to a automotive driving by way of heavy rain: extra raindrops hit the entrance windshield than the rear. By analyzing this distinction, the Spacecraft Speedometer can decide a satellite tv for pc’s velocity and place in actual time.
